Detox Salad w/ Creamy Avocado Dressing

Does doing a detox seem intimidating, scary, or something that's just not for you? Time to turn that thinking upside down: you can detox with FOOD! And we're got a delicious detox salad recipe that will make you feel oh-so-good even though it's so delicious that it SHOULD be oh-so-bad.

Detoxification is an important process. Naturally, our body's organs detoxify on a daily basis: our liver, lymphatic system, skin, kidneys, lungs, and more all work hard to make sure toxins are cycled out of our body. However, when we are bombarded by a toxic environment, a less-than-healthy diet, toxins in our personal care and cleaning products, or is our organs are not working as effectively as they should, toxins can build up in our body and cause a whole host of health problems. We're talking sluggish digestion, skin problems, irritable mood, hormone imbalances, low energy, brain fog, and more. Yuck--definitely not things we want to experience on a daily basis.  

To help avoid these issues, it's nice to give our body a little help sometimes by performing a detox. If you're a fan of juice cleanses or our Liver Detox Day that you can find in Discover the Power of Food, great! But if you're new to the detox world, try this on for size: you can detox through food. Making smart choices can help lessen the toxic burden on your liver and other organs, making natural detoxification easier and helping you feel loads better.  

How do you do this? Well, first you can choose how long you want to detox--a few days, or maybe a week. Then, start by avoiding wheat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and caffeine for this amount of time (don't be scared off yet!). Incorporate practices like having a class of warm water with lemon first thing in the morning, and drinking lots of water and herbal tea throughout the day. Some light exercise (think a 15-30 minute walk in nature or some yoga) is great to help keep your detoxification systems moving. Make sure to carve out some "you" time for reflection and relaxation--cleansing your mind is just as important as cleansing your body. And lastly, eat clean. This means focusing on organic vegetables, light lean proteins like fish and chicken, and healthy fats to help your body absorb all these great minerals. Try a smoothie for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch, and protein with lots of veggies at dinner.  

To get you started, try this delicious Detox Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing. It tastes so good, you'll think you're eating something bad for you instead of enjoying the wonderful detoxifying benefits of cabbage, carrots, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, and lemon. Oh, and the dressing? Feel free to use this on other salads, too! It's too good not to. Enjoy!  

Detox Salad with Avocado Dressing  

Salad Ingredients

½ large head organic red cabbage, chopped
6 organic carrots, grated
½ cup organic cilantro, chopped  

Dressing Ingredients

2 medium organic avocados
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup olive oil
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp honey
2 tsp parsley (I used dried, but could use fresh)
salt & pepper, to taste
cayenne, to taste   .

Instructions  

Mix the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro together. Add all dressing ingredients into a food processor, except the olive oil and water, and process. While the food processor is running, drizzle in oil and water and mix well. (If you don't have a food processor, mash the avocados first and use a blender to mix all dressing ingredients together.) Cover salad in dressing to taste (i.e., more dressing for a creamier consistency). Enjoy! 

Recipe from Mandy King, CNP, Holistic Nutritionist, and founder of HEAL, a health & wellness company making the world a healthier place, one delicious meal at a time. Mandy’s popular blog is dedicated to having you looking and feeling amazing, through food. A diagnosed Celiac herself, all of Mandy’s recipes are gluten free, and easy on your digestion.