Best Places For Post-Thanksgiving Detox In Los Angeles
After filling up on mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin and pecan pies, people often find themselves in a food coma. It’s time to detox and gear up for your next big holiday meal. For some, detoxing means sleeping it off and dipping right into leftovers the very next day, and for others it might entail exercise and light fare. For those choosing the latter, there are several hot restaurant spots in L.A. to hit for healthy food dining.
Sweetgreen
8055 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 934-3404
www.sweetgreen.com
Sweetgreen has all but conquered the salad craze in Los Angeles in a short amount of time. The salad chain, which has locations around LA, offers salads that are not only healthy, but taste great, too. From their signature salads like the "Guacamole Greens," with organic mesclun, tomatoes, red onions, tortilla chips, avocados, roasted chicken, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a lime cilantro jalapeño vinaigrette, to the "Kale Caesar, or "Rad Thai," with organic arugula and organic mesclun, sprouts, carrots, shredded cabbage, spicy sunflower seeds, cucumbers, basil, citrus shrimp, and spicy cashew dressing, it's a must visit.
Cabbage Patch
214 S. Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 550-8655
www.cabbagepatchla.com
Simple fare with great health benefits is what your body needs to detox from big heavy dinners. At Cabbage Patch, guests can take the plunge into a clean diet with all of the healthy foods. Check out the special daily vegan puree (parsnip is in season) served with the café’s seven-grain toast, and pair it with the French green lentil salad with toasted cumin, fresh cilantro, Haas avocado and lime juice with mixed greens and a balsamic vinaigrette. The pan-roasted chicken breast bowl (try tofu or salmon, too) is served with seasonal veggies, fresh herbs and toasted peanuts in a sesame lime dressing over a healthy serving of brown rice. And, if you haven’t given up on the flavors of Thanksgiving, you are more than welcome to order Cabbage Patch’s yam wedges with homemade harissa ketchup and cilantro.
Related: Best Vegetarian Thanksgiving Dinners In Los Angeles
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
South Coast Collection
3321 Hyland Ave.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 862-2480
www.greenleafchopshop.com
Shopping at South Coast Plaza for Black Friday deals will leave you hungry and weary. Avoid mall grub and take a short walk over to Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop for healthy and organic breakfast and lunch offerings. Easy to digest and won’t leave your belly aching, start with a nutritious breakfast featuring fresh fruit or one of the restaurant’s made-to-order juices (such as the Pina-Kale-Ada or Virgin’s Mary Garden), and the Zorro Egg White Omelet and breakfast potatoes or Huevos Rancheros. The lunch menu runs with the “green” theme and guests are invited to build their own salad, indulge in a vegan, gluten-free burger as well as enjoy the café’s signature Greenleaf lettuce cups, which are served individually and offered in a single fresh butter lettuce cup with your choice of protein (tofu, grilled chicken, tuna or chicken salad), two toppings and a dressing.
Rawvolution
2301 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 392-9501
www.euphorialovesrawvolution.com
Committed to and passionate about food integrity, Rawvolution is just the right place to detox after Thanksgiving. The raw lifestyle is what Rawvolution is all about. Even if you don’t practice a raw food diet, there is something for everyone on the café’s menu. From inviting breakfast selections including chia porridge, breakfast burrito and coconut yogurt to excellent lunch choices like holy macro bowl, superfood salad and enlightenment salad (the salad names alone are inspiring), tasty apps, soups, pizzas and pastas are available too, (savory kale chips, warm chili soup, Mexican pizza and zucchini pasta). Smoothies using almond milk and coconut water are popular, and Rawvolution’s warm drinks wake up kiss and green tea latte, to name a few, are easy on digestion.
Z Garden
313 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-7799
www.zgardensantamonica.com
Z Garden’s healthy Mediterranean cuisine serves a variety of vegetable and chicken entrees that couldn’t be further from traditional turkey day leftovers. For lunch, stick to the menu’s salads – Z Garden salad (red and green cabbage), Fattoush salad (featuring sumac spice) and tabbouleh (with bulgur wheat) – and if you want something a little heartier, the must-orders include grilled charbroiled salmon with traditional Middle Eastern spices and the falafel plate served with onion, tomato and tahini sauce.
Moon Juice
507 Rose Ave.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 399-2929
www.moonjuiceshop.com
For a number of reasons, including replenishing your body with vitamins, enzymes, trace minerals and live nutrients, a juice cleanse will certainly do the trick, helping to rid the bloat and to increase metabolism, especially after a meal full of salt, sugar and carbs. Moon Juice, located in the Venice beach area, offers freshly made juices to-go and cleanse programs that you can order in advance. Carrot, lime and coconut is an excellent fat flusher, cilantro celery punch is considered the heavy metal detoxifier and the gingered lemon juice not only detoxifies and soothes, but energizes as well.
Pressed Juicery
860 S Los Angeles St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 688-9700
www.pressedjuicery.com
With locations throughout Los Angeles, Pressed Juicery has become a phenomenon for it's selection of delicious cold-pressed juices, healthy snacks, and cleanses. So, after your Thanksgiving feast, head over to one of Pressed Juicery's locations and grab a cold-pressed juice, or other healthy snack that is sure to not only fulfill your hunger for the day, but won't overwhelm you after such a big Thanksgiving dinner.
