We're well into the second week of the New Year and the frenetic partying should be coming to an end. But for most of us, the damage has already been done - too many late nights nursing whisky tumblers or champagne flutes and way too much of Ma's chicken pie and Xmas trifle.

Luckily this kind of damage can be undone - a couple of days on the detox and your body is as good as new again. While a dinkum detox is an exact science, there is no harm in simply substituting the good for the bad - as we'll explain below:

For starters, cut out refined wheat products and go for rye bread instead; swop full-cream dairy for low-fat or fat-free products; avoid chocolate and biscuits as well as too much animal fat, like chicken skin, sausage and, of course, steer well clear of takeaways. You've had enough of all this. What you need now are the right kind of natural detoxifiers that will get your circulation going and help your bod rid itself of toxins.

The key aim of any detox is to rest and recuperate the liver; replenish lost nutrients, especially vitamins A, B, C and E, magnesium, zinc and potassium; to re-hydrate the organs; to help the skin and kidneys; to banish headaches and up energy levels; to provide antioxidants and other detoxifying phytochemicals; and to rebalance bowel bacteria. Here are the essential foods for the job: