NOURISH | Detox: Better than a Diet

Many people think that detox is just another diet: simply cut a set list of foods out of your diet, and you’re good to go. But Shazzie, the author of Detox Your World, says it’s more about choosing foods that are both delicious and better for our bodies. The secret is eating simply and eating raw. Do wild animals roast their meat over a fire and season it before having at it with knife and fork? Do they boil or stir-fry their vegetables? Our bodies were not designed for the cocktail of chemicals produced when foods are processed or cooked. Years of eating foods the body doesn’t recognize can store up toxins in our bodies. The best way to live a toxin-free life is to go natural.

What then are some examples of these great natural meals Shazzie prescribes? Here are two recipes from Detox Your World that we hope will make your mouth water and your body feel cleansed.

The Gratest Salad in the World

We make good use of grated food for this salad. It makes it easier to get more in, so you’re fuller for longer!
Serves 1 as a main meal or 2 as a side dish.

1 medium zucchini
1 cup of pumpkin
1 carrot
1 small red onion
1 small red pepper
1 avocado
2 tablespoons of sauerkraut
1 teaspoon of avocado oil or olive oil
1 tablespoon of dulse or other sea vegetable
A pinch of paprika

Grate the zucchini, pumpkin, and carrot. Finely dice the red onion, pepper, and avocado. Put all ingredients in a bowl, and mix. Serve with romaine lettuce as roll ups, on top of portobello mushrooms as pizzas, with another side dish, or as a main meal.

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Semolina Pudding with Figgy Jam

You can have this for breakfast or at the end of a meal. It’s a sticky and sweet wonder.
Keeps for two days when stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
Serves 2.

4 dried figs, soaked (or fresh figs, peeled)
1 heaping tablespoon of raisins, soaked in water for at least an hour
1 stalk of celery
1 sweet apple, peeled and cored
2 bananas, peeled
1 cup of water

With a hand blender, blend the figs with the raisins set aside. Chop the celery finely and put it into apple, bananas, and water. Blend until everything semolina! Pour the semolina out into a bowl, and pour the jam in the middle. Twirl the jam so it looks beautiful!

These puddings can be eaten any time of the day so don’t restrict them to after a meal. They are fantastic whole meals in themselves. How exciting is detoxing? You can eat puddings galore and get healthier than ever!

We also found a few other delicious detox recipes from Energise for Life (a list of delicious juices and soups) and New Hope 360 (a refreshing Green roll snack).

Featured image by Evan-Amos (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons