Cruciferous Crunch Health Salad
You are (very much) what you eat…
While there’s plenty I don’t know, one thing I do know for sure is that what we put into our bodies has a direct and very real impact on how we feel and on our overall health. And particularly as we move into midlife, with shifting hormones and slowing metabolisms, being mindful of what we eat can make a big, qualitative difference in how we thrive through these perimenopause/menopause years.
Sometime around my mid-40’s, despite the fact that I worked out regularly and ate what I considered to be a mostly healthy diet, I started to feel off. I didn’t realize at the time that much of what I was feeling was perimenopause, and that, coupled with an undiagnosed autoimmune thyroid condition, made for some difficult days. Perimenopause should have been one of the first things on the radar (irregular periods, hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, etc.), but it was very difficult to find any real guidance, and until recently, not something we were really talking about openly. Fortunately, that has started to change, and information is now becoming much easier to find. There are also some awesome companies that have come to market recently, such as MenloLabs, State Of (run by the fabulous Stacey London) and Womanness, to name a few, and they all provide resources in addition to products and are great follows on IG. There have also been some great recent articles, like this one from the New York Times that are shining light on the topic .
Unfortunately, this information was not available to me at the time, so It took a while to get a handle on what was happening. At that point I started to really focus (in a targeted way) on what I was eating, and did a lot of research about how different foods can help to address perimenopausal changes and symptoms. One of the things I kept reading was how beneficial cruciferous vegetables can be during this time. These include foods like broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula, spinach, radish and kale. In addition to a rich nutrient/anti-oxident profile, these vegetables contain Indole-3-Carbinole, which helps the body metabolize and detoxify excess oestrogen in the body; this is important because many of us experience estrogen dominance during this time, which can lead to a host of issues including an increased risk of breast cancer.
Getting the food and nutrients we need doesn’t have to be complicated, and I am all about shortcuts when it comes to food prep, like buying organic shredded cabbage and cut vegetables. This health salad is full of cruciferous veggies and takes all of 5 minutes to throw together! Just whisk up a simple vinaigrette and it’s ready to go! Happy #wellnesswednesday!
CRUCIFEROUS CRUNCH HEALTH SALAD
1 Bag Shredded Green & Red Cabbage w/ Carrots (I buy the organic from TJ’s or Whole Foods)
1 Bag Cut Cauliflower
Chopped Snap Peas
Optional Add In’s: Be creative! You can use chopped broccoli, cut radishes, or toss in some chopped nuts- this is often a “clean out the fridge” salad for me!
DRESSING
1/4 Cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (I like Braggs)
1/3 Cup EVOO
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
OPTIONAL
1 clove minced garlic (I use a micro-plane to make it easy!)
squirt of raw honey if you like a little sweetness
DIRECTIONS:
Whisk (or shake in mason jar, my preferred method) all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad- I like to let it sit for 20 minutes to let it all marry. Enjoy!