Escape the winter doldrums and rev up your energy with this Winter Berry Detox Smoothie! Made with plant-based ingredients that are easily available in the colder months and will naturally detoxify your system. A great smoothie for starting your day or a quick afternoon pick-me-up. Enjoy!

What’s in this smoothie?

My position on smoothies is that if they’re going to be consumed alone, they need to contain the following:

• Fiber

• Fat

• Protein

• Color

This Winter Berry Detox Smoothie checks all those boxes. We get fiber from berries and red cabbage (trust me, you won’t taste it!). We get fat from avocado and chia seeds (the omega 3 fatty acids our body needs). Protein from almond butter and chia seeds. And color (polyphenols) from the berries and red cabbage.

A couple quick tips:

• Chop red cabbage ahead of time and store in an airtight container in your fridge, so that it’s ready to use (you could do this with a whole head of cabbage and toss some into your salads during the week, too).

• If you want a thinner smoothie, add more coconut water (or some regular water, if you’re trying to limit sugar).

What makes this a “detox” smoothie?

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to go on a juice cleanse or take special supplements in order to “detox” your body. In fact, those sorts of plans can often have a negative impact on your health.

The simplest way to “detox” - i.e. assist your body, especially the liver, in eliminating harmful toxins- is to a) eat well for your gut, b) avoid processed foods, empty carbs, sugars, refined grains, and fried and greasy foods, and c) focus on eating whole foods, especially a variety of plants, protein, and omega-3 fats.

The Winter Detox Smoothie is made of whole plant foods, but it also includes foods that are especially good for the health of your gut and liver, improving their detoxifying functions. A good detox “diet” includes fiber from whole plant foods, omega 3 fats, and foods that support liver function (dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, berries and more fall into that category). Bottom line: this smoothie checks the detox boxes!

Ingredients

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1 cup mixed frozen berries

2 T almond butter

1 T chia seeds

1/4 of an avocado (or 1/2 of a small/mini avocado)

1 cup of coconut water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth. Enjoy!

*If you like smoothies, check out this post next: How to Level Up Your Smoothie Game