A Gentle Detox Meal Plan That You Won’t Hate

I see spring as a beginning. Deprived of fresh nutrients, sunlight, and long walks outside during the winter, my body begins to hibernate. All of my senses feel spring coming in the last part of February. The days get longer, the first fresh plants color the farmers’ market in vibrant green, and my diet changes completely. 

Fresh greens pulsing with energy and loaded with enzymes, vitamins, and minerals replace the superfoods I relied on during winter and naturally find their way into my smoothies, salads, and soups. Doing a gentle detox seems like the best way to start over, energized and ready for all of the opportunities lined up in the months ahead.

Detox Meals That Actually Taste Good!

I always say that a detox shouldn’t be a challenge for your body but more of a pampering way to cleanse and renew it to prepare for a new season. During the past few years, I’ve tried everything from juice cleansing to fasting to eliminating certain foods like carbs or sugars.

And, while I lost some weight, my body felt stressed and exhausted. With time, I realized that our body has its own natural detoxification functions that you can support regularly by eating a diet loaded with nourishing, diverse, seasonal, and fresh local produce.

The beginning of spring is a great time to pamper your cells with fresh nutrients. All of the fresh herbs and vegetables—spinach, nettles, parsley, asparagus, peas, lettuce, dandelion—are alkalizing and loaded with antioxidants like carotenoids and chlorophyll [source] and the fresh nutrients we’ve been deprived of all winter. This gentle 3-day cleanse is structured so that you won’t feel hungry or stressed but energized and in a great mood. 

Along with infusing your cells with fresh nutrients, try to offer your body and mind some real pampering too:

-Sleep at least 7 hours per night [source], and get some rest anytime your body tells you to.

-Take long walks in the park, and get the benefits from the sunlight—your body will produce vitamin D, your minerals levels will stabilize, and your mood will boost [source].

-Take a detox bath every evening using Epsom salts, clay, or essential oils.

-Keep a journal every evening and write down all the things for which you feel grateful. It’s a fantastic way to awaken your mind and connect you with the present.

-Exercise gently—stretching, yoga, pilates—and practice meditation for a balanced state of mind [source].

–Drink plenty of liquids (purified water, infused water, herbal tea) and avoid caffeine and alcohol.

-Don’t eat after 7 pm, allowing your body to use all of those nutrients for cell regeneration.

-Start your day with warm lemon water to boost your metabolism and end it with a calming herbal tea.

Day 1 Meal Plan

Breakfast: Mango Mint Smoothie Bowl

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks
• 5–6 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup low-fat coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon almond butter

Blend everything until smooth, and serve straight away.

Lunch: Gorgeous Glow Salad + Green Juice

1 cucumber, 1 small bunch parsley, 1 celery stalk, 1 green apple, 1 cup spinach

Dinner: Creamy Beet Detox Soup

Day 2 Meal Plan

Breakfast: Blackberry Coconut Smoothie Bowl

Lunch: Revitalizing Salad + Green Juice (same recipe as Day 1)

• 1 zucchini, cut into thin ribbons using a mandolin
• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
• 1 handful rocket
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 2 radishes, cut into thin slices
• 5–6 mint leaves
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• 2 teaspoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon organic raw honey

Mix all the salad ingredients into a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, add the lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon, and honey. Mix to combine, then pour this dressing over the salad and toss. Serve straight away.

Dinner: Warming Sweet Potato Turmeric Soup

• 1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil, add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the sweet potato and carrot cubes, turmeric, cumin, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.

Transfer the mixture into the blender, season with black pepper, add the lemon juice, and process to obtain a creamy soup. Serve warm.

Day 3 Meal Plan

Breakfast: Blackberry Coconut Smoothie Bowl

Lunch: Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh + Green Juice (same recipe as Day 1)

Dinner: Restorative Broccoli Cream Soup

• 1 small broccoli head, cut into florets
• 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small parsnip, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 2–3 mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• A pinch cayenne pepper
• To garnish: mixed seeds

In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil, then add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes over low heat. Add the broccoli, parsnip, and vegetable broth and bring to boil. Then simmer for 7 minutes over low heat.

Transfer the mixture into the blender, add the fresh spinach, lemon juice, mint leaves, avocado, and cayenne, and pulse to obtain a creamy soup.

Garnish with mixed seeds and serve warm.

This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.