Do you feel tired, bloated and sluggish after partying or eating poorly? Well, that happens to everyone. Even if you’re pretty healthy most days, it’s easy to have too many drinks on the weekends, a little extra cake at the wedding, or engage in some bad snacking habits at the office. But the good habit of consuming smoothies to detox may be the solution. Check out the following shakes and start organizing your daily consumption.
Feeling chronically unwell can have an adverse effect on our health, and before we know it, we discover that our bodies suffer the consequences.
But as we have mentioned, a solution to this problem can be a detoxification. Reviewing your diet and investing in healthy foods and drinks can rid your body of harmful toxins, support your natural detoxification processes, and feel brand new again.
In this guide we’ll take a look at detox, how to know if you need it, avoiding unsafe fads, how detox shakes can help, and the top 10 recipes to try.
What is a detox?
A detox generally requires restricting or changing your diet for a particular period of time to help cleanse your body of things like excess chemicals, fats, sugar, and alcohol.
Dr. Frank Lipman, a qualified physician and alternative health expert, explains that detoxification “is about improving and optimizing the function of your body’s own detoxification systems.”
He writes that a detox is simply a way that we can support the organs of the body that take care of detoxification, mainly the liver, but also the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system and skin.
The best ways to do this are by reducing the amount of toxins we ingest and by providing the proper nutrients our body needs so that it can be as efficient as possible during its detoxification and elimination processes.
Signs you need a detox
Dr. Sara Gottfried is a Harvard-trained medical doctor as well as a yoga instructor and author of two New York Times best-selling health books. She listed a few signs that may suggest that your health needs a revamp in the form of a good detox:
- Recent weight gain
- Swelling
- Acne, itchy skin and other dermatological problems.
- Congested Sines
- Excessive sweating
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Bad mood
Benefits of detoxification
Detoxes are good for three main reasons:
Reduce the amount of toxins that enter your body
This can be as large as eliminating an entire food group that you are sensitive to, such as gluten or dairy, or as small as cutting back on processed foods that contain irritating chemicals.
One of the most common and effective ways to reduce the amount of bad things that enter your body is to eliminate sugar, caffeine, and alcohol.
Helps the digestive system
This can be done by watching your portion sizes and being careful not to overeat and overload your digestive system. Additionally, it can aid your digestion by providing many good nutrients such as fiber that binds toxins and makes them easier to eliminate, and digestive enzymes to help break down food.
Improves liver function
Our liver are the main organ that removes toxins like chemicals and poisons from our body. Simply providing the body with good nutrition is one way to make sure it works at its best.
Detoxes can help you regain more energy and feel healthier, but during the detox process, you may not feel better.
Dr. Martha Calihan, a functional medicine doctor and founder of the Integrated Center for Family Medicine in Leesburg , VA, cautioned that during the detox phase you may experience cravings, fatigue, and other withdrawal symptoms.
However, he said these should go away after a few days and then the benefits of a detox will be felt. These include:
- Increased energy
- Less swelling
- Better sleep
- Reduced joint pain
- Better skin
- Less “brain fog”
- Improved mood
Beware of trendy detoxes
While many detox fads claim they will lead to huge weight loss in a short amount of time, this is rarely a good thing, nor is it a sustainable way of life.
Extreme detoxes that stop almost every nutrient intake and shed fat through hunger can do more harm than good.
For example, the Australian Dietitians Association asked 230 member nutritionists for their opinions on popular detoxes. 74% voted against the lemon detox diet, which replaces meals with a lemon drink, marking it the “worst” for the second year in a row.
Any similar diet that is nutritionally deficient, extremely low in calories, as well as minerals, fiber, vitamins, protein, and even fluids, should be avoided.
Detoxes won’t cancel a binge or help you lose weight quickly and safely. But what they can do is provide a period of focus on our health and abstain from harmful substances, while giving our bodies good nutrition.
What is a detox shake
One of the easiest and best tasting ways to support your body with good nutrition is through a balanced detox shake. These are drinks that mix all kinds of healthy ingredients like fruits, vegetables, seeds, herbs, and more to provide excellent vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to aid your digestive system, liver, and other detoxification processes.
The beaten to detoxify are quick to prepare and portable once the metes to a beverage container with sealing. Health gurus love them because they can easily be added to your daily routine and they certainly don’t have to replace all of your meals.
How to make detox shakes
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make detox shakes. Generally, you just need to chop up your largest ingredients, stack everything in the blender or food processor, and hit the “on” button.
However, here are some tips to help your detox shake experience go as smoothly as possible:
- Add the largest pieces first. That the thick pieces are closer to the blades.
- Add ice or frozen fruit for a tastier cold drink.
- Start at medium speed on the blender and increase speed slowly as the ingredients are further processed.
- Try hitting the mix if things get stagnant.
- Don’t forget the lid.
If you’re venturing into the world of detox shakes alone without a recipe, it helps to break up a shake into parts. Almost all shakes contain the following parts:
- Your main ingredients. They are usually fruits and vegetables.
- Your liquid foundation. Consider coconut or almond milk, tea, fruit juice, yogurt, or water.
- An optional protein. For a more filling shake, use whey, protein powder, collagen powder, walnuts, or sprouted brown rice.
- Optional flavor. If you can’t handle all the healthy ingredients, choose a flavorful ingredient like vanilla, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond extract, or cayenne pepper.
When is the best time to have a detox shake
Before we get started on some great smoothie recipes, it’s good to know what time of day your detox drink will help you the most. If your shake is being used as part of a balanced diet, you can’t go wrong with having one at any time of the day.
However, they can be particularly beneficial before and after exercise to provide your body with some great nutrients for your workout, or to replace what you lose during one.
Top 10 smoothie recipes to detox
Having a detox shake first thing in the morning is a good idea to boost your metabolism and provide carbohydrates for quick energy, as well as healthy proteins and fats.
Finally, smoothies are also great as a healthy snack. Now, let’s see how to make the best ones.
Green Raspberry Chocolate Smoothie
This is a smoothie that is best for dessert when you have sugar cravings and need to avoid processed foods. And even though it looks like a chocolate shake, you can still call it a green detox shake because of the spinach.
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, also some for garnish
- 1 cup of almond or coconut milk
- 1.5 – 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons of agave or bee honey
Blend everything until you get a smooth consistency.
Raspberries are rich in antioxidants, spinach is a favorite for iron, calcium, and potassium, and flaxseed contains fiber, Omega 3 fatty acids, and may help protect against some forms of cancer.
This is definitely a snack or dessert shake that can replace unhealthy habits, which is really what detoxification is all about.
Celery Cucumber Spinach Detox Smoothie
This detox juice really is as simple as the name implies – it only has three ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of spinach
- 1 cucumber
- 1 stalk of celery
- Water if necessary
- Blender
Cut the product into large pieces and remove the seeds. Combine the cucumber, 2 cups of spinach, and the celery stalk in a blender or blender. A liquid foundation is not required because cucumber and celery have high water content.
Cucumbers have anti-inflammatory properties, spinach contains high levels of calcium, iron and potassium, while the simple nature of celery will be a welcome treat to your digestive tract and will be the detoxifying star.
This light juice is not high in carbohydrates or protein, so it is not recommended as a substitute for breakfast or a workout snack, but it is a fantastic addition to any meal and is a quick way to get some veggies if you haven’t had enough. green vegetables recently. On an empty stomach it is better to take it.
Made from soybeans, tofu is considered helpful in providing protection against cancer and heart disease. Finally, while the vanilla extract in this shake is primarily for flavor enhancement, it packs a ton of antioxidants to boot.
Mint Blueberry Ginger Detox Shake
This tasty blueberry detox shake is designed to help you lose weight, but it is also a fresh and tasty detox shake that you can enjoy to improve your health.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cold water
- 1 tablespoon of a protein powder of your choice
- 1 cup of blueberries
- 1 cube (1/2 inch) fresh ginger
- A couple of fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed oil
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Blender
Combine your fruits, protein powder, and water in a blender and blend until smooth. Add flaxseed oil and chia seeds. Mix again until all the ingredients are well mixed.
The most prominent ingredients in this smoothie are blueberries, which have more antioxidants than most fruits and also have antibacterial and antiviral properties. They help prevent urinary tract infections by intimidating bacterial growth, they are rich in fiber, tannins and vitamin C.
The fiber in blueberries is particularly helpful as it is insoluble and prevents the berry’s total calories from being absorbed.
This is a light, low carb, nutrient-packed shake that is great for a snack and will be loved by fans of mint and blueberries.
Detox shake with raspberries for breakfast
This smoothie is recommended to be used as part of your 3-day detox cleanse, it’s just a great healthy drink that can start off right every day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cold water
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 banana, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup spinach (fresh spinach tastes best)
- 1 tablespoon of almond butter
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 cup ice (less if using frozen fruit)
- Blender
Prepare all the ingredients and mix them in a blender in the order indicated above. Blend until it reaches a level of smoothness that you think you would enjoy.
This is a high-fiber smoothie that helps your digestive tract pick up toxins and flush them out. Raspberries have a variety of health benefits, from reducing inflammation to protecting cells from aging to helping urinary tract infections, just to name a few.
Although if you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome or just a sensitive intestinal tract, you may need to strain the raspberries first to remove some of the seeds in case they cause irritation. This juice is also low in calories because it uses water instead of milk alternatives.
This is designed as a detox breakfast shake .
Five-ingredient vegan detoxifying liquor
This is a quick fix with frozen berries, spinach or kale, bananas, flax seed flour, and fruit juice. Pomegranate and orange are recommended. If you want to add more protein to your diet, you can add some silk tofu, which is a vegan and low calorie option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen berries
- 1 cup organic kale or spinach
- 1/2 cup bananas, peeled, sliced and frozen
- 1 tablespoon flax seed flour
- 1 cup of fruit juice (pomegranate and orange is a good option, but you can play with other juices until you find your favorite)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons silk tofu
Add all the ingredients to your blender and put them on high until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little more juice or water. Also add an extra frozen banana if you want it to be sweeter.
You will be surprised how many vitamins and minerals can be squeezed out of just 5 ingredients. This vegan detox shake has fiber, antioxidants, phytonutrients, Omega 3 fatty acids, folate, and of course a good dose of vitamin C to help strengthen your immune system.
This is another good option to have at breakfast time due to the fiber and protein potential to see you through the day, but it is also a great snack option.
Green smoothie without fruit
There is something to be said for not integrating the fruit because, despite how tasty it is, it is also high in natural sugar. If you’re really trying to cut sugar out of your diet for an epic detox, then it’s time to get serious and go for a mostly plant-based smoothie (this one includes lemon, which is a low-sugar fruit).
This smoothie has mainly green vegetables: cucumber, parsley, avocado, and spinach. Adding half a lemon is optional if you prefer a little more flavor and to help reduce the bitterness of the vegetables. A coconut water base and some ice cubes are recommended.
Ingredients
- ½ organic cucumber, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley
- ½ lemon, peeled
- ½ avocado, peeled and pitted
- 2 cups raw organic spinach
- 1 cup of coconut water
- 6 ice cubes
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth enough to. Enjoy immediately.
This is a great way to get a ton of nutrients into your body quickly, plus it cuts down on some of the digestion work your body would normally do to break down all those stringy greens. Leafy greens like spinach are great in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants to strengthen your immune system.
Also, there are no high-sugar fruits in this recipe, giving your body a much-needed sugar break.
It can be a great first thing before a larger breakfast, or it can complement a meal.
This is a really low sugar, high nutrient shake perfect for a detox.
Green Detox Smoothie
This detox shake includes an orange, a banana, half a lime, kale, ginger, chia seeds, and a water or almond milk base. Soak the chia seeds for 5 minutes before adding them to the mix and making the almond milk at home so you know it’s fresh and free of preservatives or other chemicals.
Ingredients
- 1 peeled orange
- 1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 lime, peeled
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds, soak for 5 minutes
- A small piece of grated ginger
- 2 cups kale or dandelion greens, chopped
- 8 ounces of water or almond milk
Mix all the ingredients in a blender, except the vegetables. Then add the vegetables and mix everything on high for about 30 seconds or until smooth enough.
Leafy greens, like the kale in this smoothie, are rich in chlorophyll, while ginger is great for speeding up digestion. Plus, all fruits are high in water, fiber, and vitamins, so there’s not as much strain on your digestive system compared to heavy solid foods.
Citrus fruits are especially high in vitamin C and are known to be good for skin health, so the double hit of orange and lime in this smoothie is a winner.
If you go for the water version of this shake, it is fairly low in fat and protein, so it would work best as a pre-workout snack or shake to give you a light boost.
Detoxifying mañanero smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups of coconut water
- 1 large orange peeled
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 1 apple cored
- 1 cup of fresh or frozen pineapple
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 cups ice (a little less if you use frozen fruit)
Blend all the ingredients in your blender until it reaches the level of smoothness that you enjoy.
Fruits and vegetables high in fiber will keep you full, apples are rich in pectin, which helps your body’s elimination processes and reduces fat in the blood.
Carrots support the adrenal glands and boost your immune system, pineapple is a great anti-inflammatory fruit and contains enzymes that aid digestion, while turmeric is a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory.
It’s designed as a high-fiber breakfast shake to keep you full throughout the day with some punchy flavors to keep you feeling sharp in the morning hours.
Detox shake with parsley
This smoothie helps alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment. It is a wonderful mix of fruits and vegetables, including parsley, spinach, broccoli, raw garlic, lemon juice, green apple, vegetable broth, and sesame paste.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup parsley
- 1/4 cup spinach
- 1/4 cup broccoli
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 clove of raw garlic
- Green apple and tahini or sesame paste with vegetable broth
Add the ingredients to your blender and blend until you get the desired smoothness.
Broccoli is often called a superfood because of all the great nutrients it contains, such as vitamin K, C, E, A, B1, and B6, as well as chromium, folate, fiber, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, copper, and more. Meanwhile, sesame paste helps liver processes, and garlic, which stimulates the immune system and is one of the few good sources of selenium, a trace mineral with evidence suggesting that it helps prevent cancer.
This is a fairly intense flavor shake that some may not like first thing in the morning. We recommend it after lunch or as a snack. This shake is a true winner in the world of vitamins and minerals. It simply has some of the best ingredients to make a nutritious detox shake .