How to Build a Brain-Boosting Coleslaw

A Colorful, Crunchy Guide to Support Your Brain, Gut & Hormones

Turn mighty cruciferous vegetables into delicious coleslaws for vibrant energy + cognitive, hormone and immune function.

🤢 From “Blech” to Brain Food 😋🧠

What?! If you’d told me years ago that cabbage would become one of my go-to ingredients for brain health and hormone balance, I’d have said… blech. 😣

But here’s what I’ve learned: cabbage—and its cruciferous cousins like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower—are among the most powerful foods to support your gut-brain-hormone axis. I’ve come a long way from avoiding it. Now it’s a regular summertime food in my kitchen as vibrant, crunchy, nutrient-packed coleslaws.

If you’ve avoided cabbage like I once did, you too can rewrite the story. Coleslaw is one of the most powerful, pleasurable ways to support your brain, gut, and hormones (hello perimenopause / menopause 😅 ) with food full of flavor—no cooking required.

✔️ Crunchy = fiber + microbiome support
✔️ Functional = food that fuels your future
✔️ Colorful = phytonutrient diversity

Your coleslaw doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s—just start with cruciferous veggies and build something you enjoy eating.

1. Start with Cruciferous Veggies 🥬

Choose one or two to form your base:

• Purple cabbage – High in anthocyanins, linked to improved memory and cognition
• Green or Napa cabbage – Rich in vitamin C, K, and gut-supportive fiber
• Bok choy – Mild, tender, and packed with folate and calcium
• Kale, collards, broccoli or beet greens – Loaded with folate, B6, and fiber for detox and hormone support

2. Include Alliums 🧅

Allium vegetables (like onion, shallot, garlic) are brain-boosting and gut-supportive:

• Contain sulfurophane compounds that support detox
• Rich in flavonoids and glutathione for immune and cognitive health
• Offer antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits

Options:

• Thinly sliced red onion, green onion, shallot — and/or a minced garlic if you like a little kick

3. Add Color = More Micronutrients🫜 🥕

Mix in about 1 cup of colorful veggies for flavor and nutrient density:

• Carrots – Loaded with beta-carotene to support memory
• Beets – Boost brain blood flow and liver detox with nitrates, anthocyanins and betalains
• Fennel – Crunchy, aromatic, and full of prebiotic fiber
• Jicama – Crisp, slightly sweet, and packed with prebiotic fiber to feed your gut microbiome
• Radishes – Vitamin C and compounds that support liver detox

4. Add a Sweet or Creamy Element 🍎🥑🥭

These additions offer contrast and brain-supportive nutrients:

• Apple or pear – High in quercetin, which may protect against cognitive decline
• Mango – Rich in vitamin C and polyphenols
• Avocado – Packed with monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, and B vitamins for mood and memory

5. Include a Crunchy Fat Source 🌰🌻

Healthy fats from nature help absorb nutrients and support brain + gut function:

• Pumpkin seeds – Rich in zinc (supports brain signaling) and magnesium (calms the nervous system and aids mood balance)
• Sunflower seeds – High in vitamin E, which protects brain cell membranes and supports gut lining integrity
• Walnuts – Omega-3-rich, helping reduce brain inflammation and support cognitive clarity
• Almonds or pecans – Provide prebiotic fiber, vitamin E, and monounsaturated fats for steady energy and gut health

6. 🥄 The Dressing: Flavor + Function 🫒 🍇

Dress your slaw with one of these from the CMF Basic Salad Dressing variations:

• Basic vinaigrette – Olive oil + vinegar or lemon: bright, simple, and functional
• Dijon vinaigrette – Adds a tangy, gut-loving kick
• Creamy yogurt dressing – Made with Greek or coconut yogurt for a probiotic twist

🧠 Tip: The fats in your dressing help you absorb fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin K and carotenoids—plus they make the slaw irresistibly delicious.

🍽 Make It a Meal

Transform your slaw into a complete meal by topping with:

• Grilled salmon or chicken
• Soft-boiled or poached egg
• Tempeh
• Garbanzo (chickpeas), black beans or lentils
• A scoop of quinoa, wild rice, or barley
• A spoonful of kimchi or sauerkraut for bonus probiotics

✅ Tips for Success

• Massage your greens if using kale or collard greens—it makes them more digestible
• Double your batch to last 3–4 days in the fridge (the flavor improves!)
• Listen to your cravings—your taste buds and mood are telling you what your body needs

🤗 Caution: If You’re New to Raw Cabbage…

Raw cruciferous veggies are deeply nourishing—but also high in fiber and sulfur. If your digestion isn’t used to them, take it slow:
✔️ Start with a handful of shredded cabbage added to a leafy green salad.

✔️ You can also lightly steam, blanch, or massage cabbage with lemon and salt to make it gentler on your system.

🥬 Ready to Try It?

✨ Your brain, gut, and hormones will thank you—with more energy, clearer thinking, and better mood.

📸 Made your own brain-boosting slaw?

Snap a photo and tag @ColorMyFood — and inspire other women to nourish their brains one delicious bowl at a time.Your plate might be the exact nudge someone else needs to eat more color, more fiber, more feel-good food.

🤔 Need a recipe to start with?
🧑‍🍳Try my Green and White Coleslaw recipe—a flexible foundation you can build on using this guide.