Start the Season Right With Our 3-Day Spring Detox

You may be feeling sluggish after a long and dreary winter, but no: Your body is not really filled with toxins. Your habits, on the other hand, could probably use some spring cleaning. That's why we created our 3-day detox to help you reset and get you off to a healthier start this season, without feeling like you have to be hungry all the time, or give up tasty food.

To begin, read our 5 Pillars of the CL Detox, so you understand what you'll be eliminating from your diet (and what you won't). Next, download our Simple Shopping List with everything you need for the next three days—the entire list should only set you back about $60. Then, take a look at Simple Swaps for Our 3-Day Detox filled with ideas for easy substitutions and helpful tips. Now you're ready to start cooking.

Once you've purchased all of your ingredients, you'll need to prepare two recipes ahead of time—our Savory Stewed Black Beans and our Tahini-Lemon Dressing. Trust us, a little prep in advance will will save you so much time during the week. 

The cereal is perfectly sweetened with fresh fruit without any added sugars in sight. You can top it with whatever fruit and nuts you prefer or have on hand. Dry muesli can be found in the aisle with the other dry cereal.

This meatless bowl offers a range of textures and flavors, including cumin-scented black beans, blistered tomatoes, corn, and fresh avocado that are equally good at room temperature. If you don’t have time to stew your own beans, canned unsalted beans work just as well here. Feel free to mix it all together instead of portioning into quadrants. Finish it with a squeeze of lime, if you like.

Your first snack of the detox is two kiwi and two-and-a-half tablespoons of cashews. Kiwi gives a nice kick of Vitamin C, while cashews add a hefty dose of heart-healthy fats and protein.

The chicken and squash soak up all the flavors in this dish from the garlic, ginger, and the lemony tahini sauce; the rice is there to make sure no sauce gets left on the plate. You can purchase pre-chopped butternut squash in the produce section of the supermarket. Curly kale works well in place of Tuscan.

Overnight oats are a dream breakfast. They take less than 5 minutes to prepare the night before, and all you need to do is add toppings the next morning. Steel cut oats are ideal for this method since they still retain their toothy bite even after overnight (and 2-day) soaks without getting mushy. The key to getting them to the right texture is hot milk—it needs to be hot in order to soften the oats; cold milk simply can’t tenderize them during an overnight soak. For ease, you can divide the overnight oats mixture between two separate bowls or mason jars to make morning breakfast prep even easier.

The toothy farro soaks up the nutty, creamy dressing, and the fresh veggies provide welcome color and texture in this satisfying lunch bowl. Farro is available in microwaveable quick-cooking packets, like Uncle Ben’s and Simply Balanced, that are ready in 90 seconds. You can also make it from dried farro: Bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add the farro, boil 10 minutes, and drain.

Grab a container of your favorite plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt and top with a half-cup of blueberries for a hint of sweetness!

This satisfying, vegetable-forward dish features meaty eggplant and a fresh and flavorful herbaceous topping. The method for crisping the prosciutto is easier (and less messy) than pulling out a pan, and the results offer a concentrated hit of flavor that makes this dish special. Omit the prosciutto to make this a fully vegetarian meal, or, alternatively, use bacon. You can use fresh or frozen peas for the topping, but if you choose to use fresh, blanch them for a couple of minutes to soften.

The mushroom is tender and meaty, and the filling is jammy but still has some bite to it. Try to find mushroom caps with the most defined “lips,” which will hold the filling better than perfectly flat ones. This is tasty as is, but if you have any leftover Tahini-Lemon Dressing, feel free to drizzle it on.

Grab another yogurt for snack today, but this time top it with one of our favorite winter fruits: pomegranate. About a quarter-cup of pomegranate arils will add the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch. 

Look for tempeh with the other vegetarian meat subs in the produce aisle. Tempeh is not only an excellent source of plant protein, but it is also full of probiotics for greater gut health.