Ready to move into a new year with better health? Try these vegan detox diet recipes for all of Veganuary – and beyond!
By Lora O’Brien
I don’t know about you, but after indulging in sweet treats and cocktails over the holidays, by New Year’s Day I’m ready to make some serious changes in my eating and drinking habits. Yep, that’s right – I’m talking about a detox diet. And I’m starting one right now.
But what is a ‘detox diet’, you ask? Well, great question.
What’s a ‘detox diet’?
It can be defined in different ways, but for the sake of this article, it’s basically one that shuns the typical ‘toxic’ foods we all eat. Those being mainly:
- sugar
- salt
- fried foods
- organic plain white flour
- red meat
- dairy
- alcohol
- processed and artificial ingredients
These kinds of foods can irritate your gut, strain your liver, lower your immunity and make your body feel sluggish in general. Time to clean up, especially in winter, when your body in need of heightened defences.
Which foods are best to eat when detoxing?
Some argue that it’s best to do a cleanse with liquid recipes for a vegan detox diet. This isn’t as boring as you’d think. That’s because by ‘liquid’, we mean not only smoothies and juices, but also chia puddings, smoothie bowls, stews and soups, too! Basically, any food that’s got loads of cleansing water content and fruits and veggies.
But that being said, not all fruits and veg are equal when it comes to vegan detox diet recipes.
For example, some of the most potent ingredients you can throw into your dishes include:
- Beetroot: Beetroot not only contains many vitamins and minerals (like zinc, iron, and magnesium), but also supports the gallbladder and the liver. Both organs are critical to our health as they help break down food and remove toxins.
- Lemons and limes: You should add a squeeze of these to everything! Why? Both are alkaline-forming, meaning they help to balance out the acidity of many of the other foods we consume. Not only that, but lemon stimulates the enzymes that help to convert toxins into a form that our bodies can more easily release.
- Garlic and onions: These are basically medicines! Garlic is an antiviral, an antiseptic and an antibiotic. Onions too, to a lesser extent. Both help with detoxification.
- Cruciferous veggies: Broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower and arugula are all high in fibre and antioxidants. Fibre helps keep your guts clean and your digestive system in track.
- Certain herbs: Did you know cilantro can help detox your body of heavy metals? Or that turmeric has strong anti-inflammatory qualities? Or that oregano is a potent anti-bacterial? Throw in loads of herbs when cooking!
Some detox diet tips
I’ve done detox diets again and again, and I’ve learned a few things over the years. Some of my best detox diet tips are:
- Be sure everything you eat is organic. After all, one of the most toxic things we eat are pesticides. And today, some ‘high tech’ pesticides are actually built into the plant, meaning you can’t wash them off, ever. So, go organic, always!
- If you’re craving salt, use pure sea salt. While most table salt is generally not great for us, sea salt is packed with minerals that your body craves.
- Craving sugar? Most smoothie bowls can be sweetened by the addition of a banana. If you’re not into those, try stevia instead.
- While I call these ‘vegan detox diet recipes’ – don’t feel like you’re on a low-cal diet. These recipes are super healthy and are meant to cleanse your body, so eat as much as you like!
How you can detox a bit every day
You don’t need to wait for a special occasion, like the beginning of a new year, to do a detox. And you don’t need to go to a detox retreat or be on a hardcore diet, either.
To detox every day, why not try adding more of these foods to your daily diet? And why not try living on these vegan detox diet recipes for three days, a week, or even longer? You can turn to these recipes every now and then, when you’re feeling sluggish or under the weather.
This kind of detox will actually energise you. You’ll be using less energy to digest, and you’ll be infusing your body with a load of fibre and nutrients.
Here’s to your health – a great new you, and a great new year!
Plant Based Detox Diet Recipes For A New You
1. Chia Fruit Water
We all know by now that hydration is crucial for great skin and energy. When you wake up tired, before reaching for the caffeine, try and drink a glass of water. See if it perks you up. After sleeping, when our bodies ‘fast,’ we need to rehydrate first thing. And some fresh, fruity water is a great way to start the day. Of course, you can (and should!) sip this all day long, too.
Get the recipe here.
2. Rejuvenating Green Smoothie Bowl
If you’ve overdone it on the sweets and puddings during Christmas, you’ll probably be craving something green and healthy for breakfast. And this green smoothie bowl will be a delicious way to get back on track. Eating these clean foods will do wonders for your digestive system, improving skin, sleep, mood and energy. You can pretty much consider this bowl a reset button!
Get the recipe here.
3. Dirty Chia Detox Breakfast Bowl
Not sure what to grab for breakfast? Well, this detox breakfast bowl recipe is loaded with energy-boosting ingredients that will start your day off right! It’s healthy, nourishing and packed with antioxidants, rich spices and immunity-boosting nutrients. This filling breakfast bowl recipe will perk you up in no time!
Get the recipe here.
4. Turmeric Latte
Sometimes, it’s not just the caffeine we crave from our morning latte -it’s the rich creaminess. And this is one of those vegan detox diet recipes that has it in spades. It’s super simple to make, and even better, it’s super healthy, as turmeric not only detoxes the blood, but reduces inflammation in the body, too.
Get the recipe here.
5. Clean Machine Cleansing Juice
Just seeing a green juice makes me feel better. After a month of cocktails and rich food, my body is crying out for some serious nutrients, and nothing feels better than drinking a green juice. You can literally feel the goodness just flooding through your body with every sip. This concoction is sweet from the apple and super green from spinach and burdock root, whereas the addition of ginger gives a slight spicy edge.
Get the recipe here.
6. Exotic Fruity Mermaid Smoothie Bowl
How magical does this smoothie bowl look? It’s definitely the most beautiful of all the vegan detox diet recipes. But I know what you’re thinking: that blue certainly doesn’t look natural, right? Never fear: this smoothie bowl 100% clean, and that brilliant shade of Smurf blue comes from….spirulina!
Get the recipe here.
7. Gut Healing Veggie Broth
Broth is one of the best vegan detox diet recipes, ever! It’s great for keeping our guts nice and healthy. And whilst many are under the illusion that only bone broth gives our body goodness, it’s simply not true. Miso and other vegan options do the trick as well. If you have any food intolerances or IBS, this will help to heal your gut, and provide you with plentiful vitamins and minerals.
Get the recipe here.
8. Turmeric Broth Detox Soup
This healthy turmeric broth is a real superstar! Not only is turmeric super great for cleansing the body and boosting immunity, but it’s also packed with powerful antioxidants. That’s great news for giving a little TLC back to our livers. Make this broth as the base of this recipe, and then throw in whichever ingredients tickle your pickle. I highly recommend adding some extra greens like kale and some legumes like white beans.
Get the recipe here.
9. Sweet Potato Detox Soup
Not only does this dish look warm and inviting, it’s one of the best vegan detox diet recipes for cleansing the sins of the holidays. This sweet potato based soup is packed with vitamin A and fibre. The red lentils and crunchy nut toppings bulk it up, so it doesn’t feel like you’re drinking your dinner!
Get the recipe here.
10. 5 Ingredient Vegan Detox Pea Soup
This is a rich and tasty soup, and it’s one of the easiest vegan detox diet recipes to make. All you’ll need is oil, an onion, garlic cloves, a potato, peas and some vegetable stock. If you want to enhance the soup and its freshness, add some fresh herbs, like parsley and extra-detoxing cilantro.
Get the recipe here.
11. Raw Vegan Sushi
If you’re looking to increase your vegetables, make it fun to eat them! And it doesn’t get better – or more delicious – than vegan detox diet recipes like these sushi rolls. Made from a plethora of veggies, they’re brought to life with a fabulous miso sauce, too. Yum!
Get the recipe here.
12. Vegan Chickpea Pancake w/ Veggies
This dense and savoury chickpea pancake is one of my favourite vegan detox diet recipes! It’s loaded with protein and fibre which will leave you fuelled for longer. It’s also great for any meal of the day and is easy to adapt to anything you’ve got in your fridge veggie-wise. You could even serve this up with hummus, avocado and salsa!
Get the recipe here.
13. Detox Rainbow Roll-Ups
Got loads of veggies on hand? Use them in these lettuce wraps and serve them up with a peanut dipping sauce. The wraps have lots of yummy, nutritional powerhouse foods like carrots, chickpeas, curry, red cabbage, peanuts and dark leafy greens. Full of colour and crunch!
Get the recipe here.
14. Spaghetti Squash w/ Tomato Basil Sauce
Cut back on white flour easily thanks to vegan detox diet recipes like these spaghetti squash noodles. They’re tossed in a fresh tomato sauce, and garnished with crushed red pepper flakes and kalamata olives.
Get the recipe here.
15. Moroccan Lentil Stew
This Moroccan lentil stew is one of the tastiest vegan detox diet recipes. It’s both hearty and healthy, and is loaded with African flavour. The cosy dish can even be frozen, so make a huge batch to have on hand for the next few months.
Get the recipe here.
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