Cabbage and Hormone Balance
A healthy gut and liver are crucial for hormone balance
There comes a time when we need to take care of our hormones more than usual and pay attention to what we put on our plates. For most women, this is when hormone-related health issues suddenly appear out of nowhere.
For me, this moment began years ago when terrible endometriosis turned my life upside down. Over those years, I have understood that what you put on your plate is critical to your hormone balance and overall health. Whether it’s endometriosis, cysts, PCOS, or moody menopause, it revolves around estrogen regulation.
Estrogen is responsible for a healthy female reproductive system.
Many of you know the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, those awful night sweats, anxiety, etc. The culprit is low estrogen levels.
Since estrogen dominance is responsible for many serious health problems such as endometriosis, cancer, low thyroid, etc., balancing your estrogen levels is the best thing you can do.
We need balance in our hormones to feel good. Even a tiny change in hormone levels can lead to disease.
A healthy liver and gut play a critical role in hormonal balance.
The liver is vital for cleansing the hormones in the body. When the liver is not functioning correctly, hormones can circulate through the body, leading to hormone excesses and imbalances. Endometriosis and breast cancer are estrogen-related diseases.
A healthy gut is also essential for hormone health. In addition, studies show that our gut also plays a vital role in estrogen regulation.
Cabbage and hormone balance
Mother Nature has gifted us with many things that nourish and heal our bodies.
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage support the liver’s detoxification process. The sulfur content in cabbage helps your liver break down toxins and eliminate them more easily.
Prebiotic-rich vegetables like cabbage are helpful for gut health and liver detoxification. Cabbage is an excellent prebiotic food that promotes gut health. The fiber in cabbage provides fuel for the good bacteria in our gut.
More than that, fermented cabbage naturally contains healthy gut bacteria called probiotics and promotes a healthy environment for our gut. And we need a healthy gut to heal or keep inflammation under control.
In addition, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables have a regulating effect on estrogen levels in the body. Most importantly, the balancing impact benefits both low and high estrogen women.
Some naturopaths recommend 1 to 2 cups of cruciferous vegetables daily to help with mild hormonal imbalance or as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Today I’ll show you how to incorporate cabbage into your eating habits with a delicious, fresh, and tasty cabbage salad.
A word of warning.
Cook cabbage only lightly if you have hypothyroidism.
Goitrogens, compounds found in cruciferous vegetables, interfere with the thyroid’s absorption of iodine, which is essential for its proper functioning. I think it depends on the amount you eat. So I do not believe that eating a cabbage salad that is not just cabbage can affect your thyroid.
Talk to your doctor if you have any doubts about whether or not you should have cabbage in your diet.
What are the ingredients for this coleslaw?
First, this cabbage salad is suitable for weight loss, too: It contains few calories but a lot of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
It is a perfect side dish for picnics, barbecues, and summer potlucks.
Cabbage is affordable and easy to incorporate into your diet.
Plus, it’s versatile because you can jazz it up with whatever vegetables you have on hand: Olives, carrots, celery, green onions, tomatoes, peppers, etc.
Make a palatable dressing with your favorite vinegar (balsamic, apple cider vinegar, etc.) and extra virgin oil, and you are good to go. You can swap vinegar for lemon juice.
You can even sprinkle a chopped handful of walnuts over your salad. You may already know that walnuts have anti-inflammatory properties thanks to their omega-3 fatty acid content.
Since cabbage is in season, I prefer to eat it raw in salads, with other veggies and fresh and dried herbs that boost my gut health.
Our gut bacteria love polyphenols, compounds in plant foods like olives, herbs, and spices.
Many herbs and spices have anti-inflammatory properties and can easily be added to your savory dishes. Oregano, thyme, and dill are just a few of them.
Carrots are my special guests because they are hormone friendly. Studies suggest that raw carrots contain a unique fiber that helps remove excess estrogen from the body. You already know that too much estrogen in the body leads to problems like endometriosis, PCOS, cysts, etc.
Years ago, my nutritionist recommended that I eat a raw carrot daily. Since then, it has been part of my diet and, along with other foods and supplements, helps lower my estrogen, reducing inflammation and keeping my endo symptoms under control.
This slaw is affordable, easy to prepare, fresh, and hormone friendly.
It contains humble ingredients you may already have growing in our garden: Cabbage, spring onions, red radishes, fresh dill, carrots, and that’s it.
Tip:
I like to sprinkle a few coarsely chopped walnuts on my coleslaw to promote health and make it crunchy.
If you are not allergic to walnuts, sprinkle them on your salads or snacks. They are high in protein and a good source of healthy fats that will keep you full and satisfied. The big bonus is that walnuts have anti-inflammatory properties.
Ingredients – Makes 2 servings:
½ medium green cabbage, shredded or finely chopped
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 yellow or red onion, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
1 handful of fresh dill, chopped.
A few red radishes (if you have any on hand).
½ teaspoon dried oregano (optional).
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, or to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Tip: You can create your version of cabbage salad by adding your favorite ingredients that go well with the cabbage and your taste buds, such as tomatoes, olives, red peppers, lettuce, etc.
My recipe uses ingredients that I had on hand that day.
How to make this cabbage salad?
Place the ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour over the dressing prepared to your liking
Toss to combine
Sprinkle a handful of coarsely chopped walnuts on top
Set aside for 20 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine.
Serving Tip:
This slaw goes well with dishes such as roasts, stews, fish and vegetable stews, etc.
The bottom line.
- Diet and regular exercise contribute to hormone balance.
- Try to stick to hormone-friendly meals. Vegetables are always an excellent addition to your feeds and should make up about ½ of your plate. I always make sure at least ¼ of them are cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.
- Vegetables help remove excess estrogen from your body.
- Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables have a regulating effect on estrogen levels in the body.
- Cabbage is an excellent prebiotic food that promotes gut health. The fiber in cabbage provides fuel for the good bacteria in our gut.
- Fermented cabbage naturally contains healthy gut bacteria called probiotics.
- Keep your hormones balanced if you want to maintain a healthy weight.
I look forward to hearing from you. If you recreate this recipe or your version, please leave a comment below.
Until next time, be mindful of what you put on your plate to keep your hormones balanced, so you are happy and feeling good.
XoXo
Gabby
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