I am on a mission to encourage midlife women to embrace the humble cruciferous family of vegetables and to include them in their menu rotation on a regular basis. We are talking, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choi, Kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, watercress, rutabaga, turnips, radishes and arugula.
Get them in your belly!
We know from the science that cruciferous vegetables provide our liver with the compounds it needs to breakdown excess estrogen in the body which reduces our uncomfortable symptoms of peri-menopause and protects us from breast cancer.
The fibre found in cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and kale also supports a healthy microbiome. Emerging research points to the microbiome as playing a hugely important role in packaging estrogen metabolites safely, to be removed from the body. The link between breast cancer and an altered gut microbiome has long been established and there is also evidence to show that a healthy gut microbiome supports our healthy body weight at midlife and reduces the amount of inflammation in our body.
The fibre in cruciferous vegetables protects us from colon cancer and is protective of our heart health, the number one cause of death for women.
Let’s do this thing and eat more cruciferous veg!
Studies show that in the UK only 9% of people get enough fibre daily and that drops to 5% in the USA. The majority of the fibre intake in both of these countries comes from grains in the form of pasta and bread. This is an indicator of the extreme lack of vegetables in our diet and attests to the fact that what we think is normal and healthy in our diet is deeply damaging to our immediate menopausal health and long term to our longevity.
We have drifted so far from foods that build health and it is delicious recipes that will draw us back.
This recipe for Red Cabbage and Apple is easy to prepare and contains the sweetness and the pectin fibre of apple along with the health benefits of red cabbage.
Red cabbage contains additional polyphenols in their gorgeous purple colouring which offer us further protection from coronary artery disease and inflammation.
The non-negotiable ingredient in this dish is the spice, star anise, which takes the flavour to the next level.
This side dish is perfect with chicken sausage and mashed potato and can be refrigerated and reheated through the week. I paired it with scrambled eggs and mushrooms to make a delicious blood sugar balancing breakfast!
This side would also be perfect with my Turkey and Herb Breakfast Patties either at breakfast or for dinner!
Ingredients
1 large red cabbage quartered and thinly sliced
1 red onion diced
2-3 apples diced
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3-4 whole star anise
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Using a large knife quarter the red cabbage and remove the core
Finely chop each of the quarters
Core the apples and dice
Dice the red onion
Finely chop or crush the garlic
In a large pan with a tight fitting lid, add the coconut oil and melt over a medium heat
Add all of the chopped vegetables and stir until the onion starts to soften
Add the star anise pieces and stir until you can smell the spicy aroma
Add the apple cider vinegar and tightly seal the lid onto the pan, turning the heat to low
Braise the cabbage and apple in the pan with the soice for 15-20 minutes until all of the ingredients are cooked through
Add salt and pepper to taste
If you want to take your relationship with red cabbage further ;) try my recipe for Red Cabbage Sauerkraut