WAIT! Hold on! Before you freak out, NO I am not going on a detox diet, juice cleanse, or anything of the sort. I feel like whenever the word detox is used, it’s automatically associated with restriction, diets, and only consuming liquids. I’ll admit that when I see the word, my mind goes to those places as well. If you know me, I am not one for juice cleanses, or diets in general. I believe in nourishing your body with real food from the earth. Simple as that. But what I’ve learned recently is that ‘detox’ doesn’t have to be a taboo word. In fact, detoxifying foods can be some of the healthiest foods for you to incorporate into your diet!
Notice I said, incorporate….not LIMIT yourself to! Lately, I’ve been paying a little bit more attention to the detoxifying properties of the foods I eat and have realized that the more I eat certain things, the better I feel!
Things like kale, broccoli, apples, almonds, avocado, cinnamon, garlic, and lemon juice are all staples in my diet…and they happen to have some of the best detoxifying elements in them! Detoxifying is about dieting or restricting. It’s about resetting, cleansing and nourishing the body from the inside out. We are surrounded by and exposed to toxins on a daily basis. By feeding your body with natural detoxifying foods, you are giving your body healthy nutrients, helping protect you from disease, renewing your ability to maintain optimum health. Detoxifying foods also assist in boosting your metabolism, optimizing digestion, and fortify your immune system. Here are some of the benefits I’ve definitely been reaping…
- energy boosts
- clearer skin
- better breath
- clearer thinking
- softer hair
- better waste elimination (my sweat is so much less salty and smelly!)
- overall mood improvement
Another thing I’ve added to my daily intake is apple cider vinegar! Apple cider vinegar is full of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in it’s raw form. It helps kill harmful bacteria in your body as well as cleanses your whole system. My favorite way to drink it is in a ‘cocktail’ with lemon juice and seltzer water! REFRESHING.
While we’re on the subject of detox foods, I wanted to share some juices I recently received from Urban Remedy that have the perfect ingredients for rejuvenating your system!
Urban Remedy offers juice cleanses I can get behind because they incorporate healthy meals and snacks in their plans, instead of just relying on juice. Though I am not doing a cleanse myself, I would definitely be up for doing one like that! To me, cleansing your system doesn’t have to involve restriction…it just has to involve nutrient dense foods. And Urban Remedy’s juices are certainly that.
I felt so fresh and alive with every juice I tried. Each has an amazingly unique flavor and I swear you can feel the nutrition coursing through your veins as you sip. These are juice that just make you FEEL healthy. Here are some details on the different varieties I received…..
Brainiac Strong cucumber and lemon taste with just the perfect herby flavor from parsley! So refreshing.
Dynamo This one is not for the juice newbie…it’s nickname is KALE JUICE so you can imagine it’s a little stronger than juices with fruits or more milder veggies in it. But I liked it! Slightly bitter bit when chilled it tastes amazingly fresh and rejuvenating!
Glow LOVE that this one has 9 grams of protein in it! How awesome is that for a juice? I am a big lover of sea vegetable so I actually enjoyed the slight seaweed-y taste from the algae. But if you’re not a fan, don’t worry…the taste was not very strong and the veggies and lemon definitely came through more!
After Party Sweet and sour and surprisingly very lemony! Only a hint of sweetness in this one despite having a lot of carrots and apple in it!
Apple Lemon Ginger Kale Like a zesty apple juice with lots of punch from the ginger and minimal green taste from the kale.
Flush This one taste like a classic green juice to me, sweet from the apples and slightly green and bitter from the veggies.
Time Machine Can you believe this was my first time trying Acai? I would describe the flavor as a mix of tart berry flavor and a piece of rich dark chocolate. The subtle sweetness from the added stevia definitely improved the flavor as well! Is it weird to say this tasted like lemonade?! So unique.
Is it weird that I liked the green juices the best? GIVE ME ALL THE GREENERY! Sure they aren’t as sweet as the fruit based ones, but their freshness makes them taste so bold and the veggies that are paired together really complement each other. Urban Remedy definitely has the science of healthy, delicious juicing down pat!
All I can say is that I wish I had unlimited access to these juices. I could drink multiple ones everyday! Sure, I have a juicer and could juice myself, but it’s pretty laborious and not to mention EXPENSIVE. Ahhhh well, I’ll have to just treat myself every now and then to a fresh pressed juice! Definitely one of life’s simple pleasures.
Thanks Urban Remedy!
Speaking of detoxing foods, I have an AWESOME kale salad recipe to share with you all! Not sure when I’ll be posting it, but stay tuned in the near future! It has a TON of detoxifying foods…not to mention it tastes amazing.
And one last thing…since it is WIAW, I wanted to share my FAVORITE meal from last week!
I visited Sun Restaurant again and had an AMAZING meal….
Green Goddess roll with cucumber, avocado, asparagus, sesame, and sweet chili sauce and a plate full of TunaMelon (which was raw tuna marinated on top of fresh watermelon with Sien Kaw sauce!). TO DIE FOR.
Must go back for more black rice ASAP! It is too good.
Do you incorporate detox foods into your diet?
Would you ever do a juice cleanse?
What was your favorite meal of last week?
Kaila
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Kaila, I did not have my glasses on and I thought this read “dabbing with botox” !!! You had me LOL
I am always having “detox” foods in my every day diet. I am still actually doing Paleo, however I have changed it up to work for me and running. I need some type of starch or grain for that.
HAHAHAHA!! You have me cracking up too! That would certainly be a different sort of post! I think it’s cool that you’re doing paleo but making it work for you and your lifestyle!
Wow, I’m doing a popcorn recipe next week while you just did one a couple days ago…and I just published a juice/cleanse related article today talking about a great company from my local area earlier today on my blog as well. Great minds think alike? I’m going with heck yes! Love this article and the fact that you mentioned when going on a short-term cleanse, it’s really best to still incorporate healthy snacks with the juices. I agree with that!! I feel like it would be more nourishing to your body and feel less restricting while doing a detox and/or cleanse.
I’ve never tried a juice cleanse but some of these flavors sound amazing! Cucumber, lemon and parsley was probably my favorite listed! I love the idea of sparkling water in the ACV lemon mix! I love ACV but it took me a long time to get used to drinking it! Most mornings I start my day with a huge glass of lemon water before my coffee! This is a great reminder of the beneficial properties of food. Tasty and great for you – how can you not love fresh fruits and veggies! Thanks for sharing – these juices look delish!!!
No problem!! They really were delicious and I highly recommend them!! The cucumber lemon parsley was such an awesome flavor combo.
Almonds? Apples? Broccoli? Cinnamon? Check. Check. Check. Check. So does that mean I’m a master at detoxing?? How did I never know 😉 ? I’d never do a detox or juice cleanse because I absolutely need food to chew on.
Kale Quinoa Salad sounds wonderful – for once kale is in season again. Probably the only thing that makes me slightly look forward to the first frost.
Same here!! Drinking all my calories for the day would be agonizing!!
I have never tried a juice cleanse- sounds dreadful to me! Adding a few cleansing ingredients to my everyday world doesn’t sound to bad! Thanks- good info!
No cleanses for me.
I don’t remember last week, but last night I had awesome sea scallops from a local bistro. Mmm…
I LOVE scallops!!!
I’m always glad to hear you’re not into hard core detoxes or anything like that! I didn’t really know that “regular” foods had detoxifying properties.. that’s pretty cool! My favorite meal from last week? Hmmm.. I’d have to go with taco night!
Can’t go wrong with tacos!!
I did a juice cleanse last winter. It was crazy. Never again.
Haha! More reason I will never do one lol!
[…] week when I discussed detoxing, I teased you all with a recipe for a Kale Quinoa salad I came up with! Not only is this salad […]
[…] A few month’s back I received an awesome package of juices from a new to me raw, pressed juice company…Urban Remedy. I raved about their juices and thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone. They were all so unique in flavor and tasted so fresh. I was so sad the day I drank my last juice and I’ve been missing them since then! […]