Crunchy Detox Salad

Name: Crunchy Detox Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 3 Tbsp olive oil; 1/2 cup lemon juice; 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated; 2 tablespoons clover honey; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 2 cups cauliflower, chopped; 2 cups broccoli, chopped; 1 cup red cabbage, chopped; 1 cup carrots, chopped; 1-1/2 cups fresh parsley, chopped; 2 celery stalks, chopped; 1/2 cup almonds, chopped; 1/2 cup sunflower seeds; 1/3 cup organic raisins

by Deborah // May 1, 2021 (updated March 15, 2023)

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Ready for some salad love? This Crunchy Detox Salad is loaded with cruciferous vegetables (detox foods and immune boosting foods) that are rich with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits to help detoxify your body. You’ll want to add this colorful, delicious and super nutritious salad to your daily detox diet.

I love everything about this Crunchy Detox Salad. It’s my riff on a Whole Foods detox salad that I used to buy all the time until I started making my own version at home.

Chronic inflammation is a leading culprit that lies behind a number of diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Incorporating a detox diet into your daily wellness plan, and by eating plenty of immune boosting foods that are loaded with antioxidant, antibacterial and ant-inflammatory properties, may help to keep your immune system strong in order to ward off these diseases.

Detox Salad Ingredients

This Crunchy Detox Salad is loaded with detox foods and immune boosting foods that are rich with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits that help to detoxify your body. Here’s the many health benefits the individual ingredients in this Crunchy Detox Salad have to offer.

Cauliflower. Cauliflower is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It’s rich with antioxidants and a good source of phytochemicals and anti-inflammatory compounds which help to ward off cancer and heart disease. It’s also high in fiber and may aid weight loss. (1) (2) (3) (4)
Broccoli. Broccoli is nutrient rich and known for promoting cardiovascular health, supporting immune function and reducing inflammation. It’s a good source of vitamin C which supports the immune system.. It’s also a good source of lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-carotene, which all promotes good eye health. Broccoli is also high in fiber. (5) (6) (7)
Red cabbage. Like other cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli and cauliflower) red cabbage is also an excellent detox food. It’s a rich source of antioxidants that have been shown to reduce chronic inflammation. It’s also a good source of fiber and contains sulfur compounds which help the body fight against toxins. Red cabbage also contains powerful compounds called anthocyanins which is what gives cabbage its rich purple color. These anthocyanins are rich with powerful flavonoids and there are a number of studies that link a diet rich with foods containing anthocyanins and a reduced rick of heart disease. (8).(9 (10)
Carrots. They’re a rich source of vitamins (vitamin A, B6, Biotin and vitamin K), minerals (potassium) and antioxidants beta carotene and lutein which promotes good eye health, and lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant (found in many red fruits and vegetables) and may help decrease risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease. Carrots are rich with vitamin A which aids the liver with flushing out toxins from the body. (11)(12)
Flatleaf parsley. Parsley is rich with antioxidants (flavonoids, carotenoids and vitamin C). Many studies indicate that a high intake of flavonoids and carotenoids reduces risk of certain diseases. And vitamin C has powerful antioxidant effects in supporting a healthy immune system and also protecting against chronic disease. (13) (14)
Celery. Celery and celery seeds have approximately 25 anti-inflammatory compounds that offer protection against inflammation. It’s also rich with antioxidants. Celery is almost 95 percent water and provides both soluble and insoluble fiber which supports the digestive tract. It’s also rich with magnesium and iron that may help to balance the body’s pH levels. (15)
Almonds. Almonds are rich with vitamin E, magnesium, antioxidants, protein, fiber and healthy fats. The antioxidants found in almonds are more concentrated in the brown layer of the skin. Almonds are one of the best sources of vitamin E there is. Studies show a link of high intake of vitamin E with lower rates of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and some types of cancer. (16) (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)
Sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are rich with vitamin E and selenium which are powerful antioxidants. They’re also a good source of flavonoids which help reduce inflammation. Sunflower seeds should, however, be eaten in moderation due to cadmium content. This is a metal pulled from soil that can harm kidneys if consumed in large quantities over a long period of time. (23) (24)
Organic raisins. Raisins are a good source of iron, fiber and antioxidants. They also contain calcium and boron needed for strong healthy bones.
Dressing – The Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette that we toss this salad with is made with lemon juice and fresh ginger. Both lemon and ginger are staples of many detox diets. Lemons are rich with antioxidants and have an alkalizing affect on our body, helping to restore pH balance and supporting the immune system. Ginger contains powerful properties, calledgingerols, shoals, gingerdiones, which are rich with antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that may help to ward off disease. It’s also rich with phytochemicals that help aid digestion and settling upset stomachs. These digestive properties found in ginger help to stimulate the body’s natural cleansing and detoxifying process by eliminating waste and toxins.

How to Make Detox Salad

You’ll love how quick and easy this salad comes together (especially if you use a food processor to finely chop the ingredients). Don’t toss the salad with the dressing until you’re ready to serve it. You can enjoy this salad for a few days by keeping the salad and the dressing separated and each sealed with a lid or plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Rinse – Rinse produce under cold water and either pat dry or toss in a salad spinner.
Chop – Chop ingredients using a good sharp knife, or toss them individually in a food processor and quickly pulse until they’re finely chopped.
Toss & Dress – Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing and toss to evenly coat vegetables.

Lemon Ginger Vinaigrette

The key to the simple vinaigrette is to let it sit in the fridge for about an hour (longer if you have the time) before tossing the salad with it. Oh my goodness….the flavor of this vinaigrette after it’s been in the fridge for a bit is so good you’ll want to drink it! To make this dressing, just place the ingredients in a mason jar, seal the lid, then shake well to blend.

Olive oil
Lemon juice
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Clover honey
Sea salt

What is Detoxifying

Detoxifying, detoxification and detox are buzz words that imply following or adhering to a diet (detox diet) and consuming certain foods (immune boosting foods and detox foods) that claim to enhance the body’s natural detoxifying process and ridding it of toxins to boost the immune system (detoxify your body), improve overall health and promote weight loss.

Benefits of Detoxifying

The immune boosting foods tossed in this salad contain nutrients and phytochemicals which stimulate the enzymes in your liver to turn toxins into something our bodies can eliminate easily. Besides eliminating the bad, if we consume detox foods on a regular basis, it helps to strengthen our immune system functioning and to fight off infection.
Why we detoxify is to restore balance to our body’s systems to help them function properly. Each of us can benefit from giving a boost to our body’s natural detoxification process. The upside to incorporating a detox diet into your daily wellness plan, is you might find that you feel more energetic and full of vitality.

Looking for More Healthy Salad Recipes to Make?

Still want more ideas? Check out all my salad recipes.

Yield: 6 Servings