Did I ever tell you about the time I did a raw food detox? It was nearly 10 years ago, but for 30 days I ate exclusively raw foods, including plenty of this salad. It’s the best detox salad EVER.
During that time, I ate some variation of this salad for 30 days straight, along with plenty of fruit smoothies, raw fudge, and banana soft serve. To my surprise, I lost 17 pounds in a month.
I wish I could say those results lasted forever, but when you take drastic measures and lose weight that quickly, it can also come back just as fast. In fact, short detoxes, cleanses, and diets like that are exactly why I struggled in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, binge eating, and body image issues for so long. I think I lost and regained the same 20 pounds for nearly a decade! If you can’t maintain a routine over the long term, or have to keep starting your diet over and over again, then it isn’t really “working” for you– even if you see amazing short term results. I knew there had to be a better way.
That’s why my approach to detoxing now is different than it used to be. It’s why I don’t give you drastic cleanses to do in my books, and why you’ll never see me sell you on some fad detox gimmick– because there are no shortcuts. To get lasting results, and ultimately support your body’s natural detoxification organs like the skin, liver, and kidneys, you need to make lifestyle changes you can maintain forever. (Not just for 30 days!)
A simple way to start is by adding this detox-friendly salad to your life. It’s jam-packed with nutrients to support your body’s detoxification system, and can be made ahead of time to fit into your busy schedule. These ingredients make this salad a detox powerhouse:
- Cabbage is loaded with vitamin C and sulphur, which help to remove free radicals and uric acid from the body.
- Raw carrots are thought to help balance your hormones by binding to and removing excess estrogen from the body, while also helping to remove bad bacteria from the gut.
- Avocado contains healthy fats which may protect the liver and help with better absorption of fat-soluble nutrients in the body.
- Fresh parsley is a powerful herb loaded with chlorophyll, antioxidants, and healing compounds that are thought to help increase urine flow and remove any harmful bacteria from the urinary tract.
- Raisins are loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and a considerable amount of iron, and may help to relieve constipation and anemia
- Ginger has anti-inflammatory properties and stimulates circulation and digestion, which may help to remove waste from the colon and liver.
- Raw honey is loaded with antioxidants, promotes restorative sleep, and may help to ward off infections and provide natural allergy relief.
- Lemons are thought to balance the pH of the body, detoxify the liver, promote skin repair boost the immune system, and strengthen the digestive system.
When you throw all of these powerful ingredients into one detox salad, the results are delicious. I like to make a big batch of dressing and pre-chop the veggies at the beginning of the week, so preparing a healthy salad takes less than 5 minutes when I need something fast. You can even buy bags of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots to make this as easy as possible. I hope you’ll enjoy it as you gradually work on your health goals.
This detox salad typically serves one as a meal, but the dressing makes 1 1/2 cups so you’ll be able to serve it over many more salads during the week ahead.
The Best Detox Salad with Lemon-Ginger Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
Lemon Ginger Dressing (makes 1 1/2 cups)
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 1 1/2-inch knob of fresh ginger , to taste
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
Salad
- 4 cups shredded cabbage (green, purple, or both)
- 1 large carrot , shredded
- Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley , roughly chopped
- 1/2 avocado , sliced
- 2 tablespoons raisins
Instructions
- To prepare the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a blender, starting with just 1-inch of fresh ginger, and blend until smooth. Add more ginger to taste, if desired, and set aside.
- To prepare the salad, toss together the cabbage, carrots, and parsley in a large bowl and top with the sliced avocado and raisins.
- Top the assembled salad with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the lemon-ginger dressing and let it marinate for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for roughly half the salad with 1/4 cup of dressing. Keep in mind that this information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, so it’s just an estimate, and not a guarantee.
As always, feel free to make substitutions as needed, and leave a comment below letting us know what works for you! If you need a vegan alternative to the honey, I’d recommend trying dates or pure maple syrup.
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Reader Feedback: Do you have any fun detox stories to share? I could probably write a novel on all of my detox-gone-wrong stories, but I’ll save those for another post!
This is a great recipe, and I can’t agree with your philosophy on detoxes and cleanses more. This salad looks like the perfect recipe for any lunch or dinner. Cabbage and raisins are two of my favorite (and often underrated) salad ingredients that do the trick every single time! 🙂
Can’t wait to try this amazing salad and dressing. Everything in it is amazing alone and putting them together should be ever better!! Thanx.
Question…could I use dried parsley and how much if yes.
I’m not crazy for the taste of fresh parsley . Weird I know!
Also is that ginger slices or grated? Thank you. I have your book and want to start doing your plan next week. Sabrina
Fresh parsley is definitely an acquired taste! I’m not sure if the health benefits are exactly the same with the dried version, but you could probably add 1/2 teaspoon of the dried stuff to this salad, if you’d like to. For the fresh ginger, I actually just throw a peeled chunk into my blender and let it do all of the work!
I made this salad but used cilantro instead of the parsley and it was delicious!
After a month of too much sugar, I am craving raw foods and salads! This detox salad looks so flavorful and refreshing!
This looks beautiful. I think I might add shaved Brussels sprouts as well. Thank you.
I love purple cabbage! Purple cabbage, pears, pecans and homemade mustard dressing make a delicious combo for salad!
Megan– you should try it, I know you would love it! 🙂
That lemon ginger dressing sounds amazing! Delicious AND perfect for a detox 🙂
So amazing!! Had to make some substitutions because I couldn’t wait to try it! Used fresh squeezed grapefruit in place of lemon in the dressing. Then used fresh cilantro instead of parsley and dried cranberries in place of raisins (because it’s what I had on hand) then added some chopped persian cucumbers and radish (out of avocado) – so wonderful it’s all I want to eat forever!! Post alllllll the raw detox recipes 🙂
I haven’t tried it yet but I’m sure I will. Did you use regular raisins? I love raisins but they do have sugar in them which I try to avoid if I’m going to detox. I can’t seem to find raisins with no sugar.
I used unsweetened raisins. They are so naturally sweet as it is, there’s no need for added sugar!
This is a wonderful salad. I didn’t have ginger for the dressing on hand, so I made your balsamic honey dressing. Fabulous.
I made this salad – 3 servings – 2 for lunches this week and one I had for dinner tonight. It was really good. I used dried cranberries because I’m out of raisins and I was a bit short on the lemon – but really a great salad and I look forward to eating it at work. Thank you – this is just what I needed to start out the New Year
Made this salad tonight – followed your recipe to a T except for the parsley – none on hand. The salad was absolutely delightful; just the right amount of sweetness with the honey and raisins. Can’t wait to have it again tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing Megan! I often eat these kinds of salads at home because they are great for ridding your body of unnecessary toxins. Love the recipe 🙂
This was an amazing dish!
We love this salad. I throw it together all the time even without the dressing and we love the crunchy fresh combination of vegetables with the subtle sweetness from the raisins!
Hi Megan,
Sounds like a great recipe! I’m allergic to honey (clover and other varieties), so I stay away from it. Can I substitute organic maple syrup or stevia?
It’s even good with kale or kale mixed with red cabbage! I find that with kale, though, I add the dressing and let it rest for an hour at least, adding the avocado just before serving.
I made an enormous batch of this salad yesterday, adding organic red pepper, toasted almonds, and toasted sesame oil sprinkled as a garnish. I devoured it over the course of the whole day and woke up this morning feeling great and much more energized than I have lately. I think that the dressing is a bit too acidic as is, so next time I’ll use equal parts oil and lemon juice and I will be adding cilantro and lime for an Asian taste, plus, garbanzo beans for protein. I could eat this salad three times a week!
I just made this exactly as written and it’s seriously delicious!
Sorry, forgot to rate?
Hi Megan! I’m an italian girl. Long story of PCOS well controlled, but lately I’m in insuline-resistance. It’s very difficult to not to gain weight or worst lose it. Sad.
Looking for recipes and tips I’ve found your website, it’s amazing!
I’m reading about grain free nutrition. What can I eat instead?quinoa? I’m a bit overwhelmed for all this situation.
Thank you so mach for your great work!
P.S. I’ve tried this recipe today, super yummy!
*much
It depends on how grain-free you want to be. Some people find that “pseudo grains” like quinoa and buckwheat work well for them, but others have to avoid them all together. I’d try a temporary elimination diet to see how your body feels when you reintroduce them.
I’m going on my third week in a row prepping this salad for the week! It’s become a staple in no time. I love how fresh it the lemon ginger dressing tastes. I brought it over for a dinner party and everyone loved as well 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Even my picky husband loved it. He loved the sweet raisins and the creamy avocado. What a refreshing salad! Thank you for your consistently delicious recipes! That’s a lot of hard work. Bravo!
I made this salad for the first time last night. It’s so good! I substituted dried cherries for raisins but I loved it. So quick and easy. I don’t feel guilty eating it even when I get home late from work! This will definitely be in my rotation of salads! Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
One quick question: I’ve done a raw detox cleanse in the past and LOVED IT! All of the ingredients you have mentioned in this salad are spot on. The only curiosity I had was the olive oil in the salad dressing. I was instructed to stray on olive oil during the cleanse. Can you share your thoughts on that please? Thanks!
I like to toss in dried cranberries (no sugar added) in my red-cabbage/carrot salads. So yummie! Never tried a ginger dressing though but I’m going to try that for sure!
I tried this salad. It was great! I’m going to use it as a side dish going forward.
At my house, we usually just whip up a quick salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but I need to try this dressing
My blog: https://healthybakingwithacupofocd.wordpress.com/
Sorry, i didn’t realize I was on Caps, didn’t mean to do that on above post. I did change servings to 2 then 3 etc., the dressing recipe increased with each serving so I am assuming the recipe is for 1 serving
Is this really one serving? 😉 sounds huge! 4 cups cabbage and 1/2 avocado. Would that be a good lunch for weight loss?
The serving size is totally up to you and your own appetite. I can sometimes eat 4 cups of cabbage and 1/2 an avocado in one sitting, but other times that might be too filling, so I’ll just stop when I’m full. The dressing recipes makes enough for several salads.
This dressing goes with any salad! It was awesome!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Anything with that much avocado on it is a winner for me!
This was so good! My 10 year old even liked it. We skipped the raisins though.
Family loves this recipe
The combination of fresh ingredients is refreshing and so satisfying. Love it!
I can’t have avacodos because I’m on a potassium medication. What would you substitute?
Maybe stir some tahini or almond butter into the dressing for added creaminess?
Very refreshing and tasty salad.
I tried this delicious and refreshing salad!. Thanks Megan, the dressing is amazing.
I stumbled upon this salad by accident almost a year ago and it’s still one of my favorites! Super easy to make ahead, tasty, affordable, and filling. It also does a great job of satisfying my sweet tooth when it rears its ugly head. I sprinkle hemp seeds on top for an added nutritional boost.
Hi – I have a quick question – how were the calories calculated? The dressing is at least 1,000 calories with 1/2 cup olive oil. Thank you!
I’ve added details below the recipe card for you– but keep in mind this is just an estimate! My recipe plug-in calculates the nutrition for the individual ingredients automatically, so I don’t look those up myself to confirm.
This is so incredibly fresh and tasty!!! The dressing…. swoon worthy!!
This detox salad is scrumptious, this salad is just perfect for any person suffering from high uric acid levels, I was really surprised by how the lemon-ginger dressing tasted, it gives a really juicy and flavorful taste to the salad.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!
My favorite thing about this salad is how versatile it is. I add chopped kale to mine and sometimes sliced fennel bulb. The dressing is drinkable! I also add a cup of cooked quinoa to make it a meal and layer the ingredients into a quart mason jar for easy work lunch. I love your recipes and ideas!