SALAD
- 2 cups kale
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 cups red cabbage, roughly chopped
- 1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- ½ cup almonds
- 1 to 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup watercress
Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp. honey or coconut nectar
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of about two lemons)
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Using a food processor chop kale, broccoli, red cabbage, and carrots. Finely hand chop the parsley. Mix the veggies and parsley together in a large bowl.
- Add almonds to the food processor and pulse, until roughly chopped, and mix in with the salad along with the sunflower seeds and blueberries. Last, toss in the watercress.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over top of the salad. Enjoy!
Here’s why this salad helps you detoxify:
Kale
Kale provides comprehensive support for the body’s detoxification systems. Since the liver is the primary detox organ, we can use all of the additional detoxification help we can get. Research has shown that the isothiocyanates made from kale’s glucosinolates help regulate the detox action in our cells. Most toxins that pose a risk to our body must be detoxified using a two-step process—Phase I and II. The isothiocyanates from kale have been shown to favorably modify both detox steps. In addition, the large number of sulfur compounds in kale helps support Phase II detoxification.
Broccoli
Scientists have measured broccoli’s ability to detoxify the body of cancer-inducing chemicals before they can cause problems. In one study published in the journal Cancer Prevention, scientists selected participants living in an area of China with substantial air pollution. “They first assessed the amount of pollutants found in the participant’s urine and then assigned some participants to consume a beverage made of broccoli sprouts. Afterward, the scientists found that people who drank the broccoli beverage were able to get rid of substantially higher levels of the environmental pollutants than those who did not.”1
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage has a huge amount of antioxidants, comparable to blueberries, goji berries, and even to acai berries, that aid in the detoxification process. The antioxidants found in red cabbage are powerful enough to make harmful free radicals neutral and quickly flushes them from the body. Red cabbage is known to be one of the highest-ranking cruciferous vegetables on the ORAC list (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).
Carrots
Carrots are rich in glutathione, a protein that helps detoxify the liver. In addition to the detox properties, carrots contain high amounts of vitamin C, B6 and potassium. They also are loaded with vitamin A and K, too! It’s best to eat them raw.
Blueberries
Ingredients similar to aspirin were found in blueberries, which helps lessen the tissue-damaging effects of chronic inflammation. Just 300 grams of blueberries protect against DNA damage. They are also loaded with super-detoxifying phytonutrients called proanthocyanidins.
1 http://www.drperlmutter.com/eat-broccoli-fight-air-pollution/