Kale Salad Recipe

Kale salad is a must for anyone trying to balance hormones.

Kale belongs to the family of “cruciferous” or brassica vegetables.
These vegetables help your body get rid of excess estrogen by excreting it in your urine. Excess estrogen can disrupt your hormone balance at menopause. 

Other members of this family include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, collards, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, and turnips. Arugula, horse radish, radish, wasabi, and watercress are also in the same family.

These vegetables contain a special chemical called sulforaphane which improves the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and other toxins.  It takes only 3 to 5 servings a week to get the health benefits. 

Greens like kale can also:

• lower your cholesterol levels
• regulate blood clotting
• prevent hardening of the arteries
• boost your immune system
• lower blood pressure
• cool inflammation
• enhance bone health and guard against osteoporosis
• protect against all types of cancer

But you have to be careful not to overcook cruciferous vegetables.  This is because there is an enzyme called myrosinase in broccoli, for instance, that is necessary to form the sulphoraphane but cooking it too much will destroy the enzyme.

That is why this kale salad recipe is so great.  It does not cook the kale at all but uses it raw. 

You also don’t want to eat too much of these vegetables in the raw form because they are goitrogens.  This means that they interfere with thyroid function and can promote a goiter or low thyroid function, if they are not cooked.  That can lead to weight gain and other problems.  So don't go overboard on kale salad or kale smoothies.

Kale Salad With Lemon Garlic Dressing

* 1 bunch fresh kale
* ½ red onion, sliced into thin crescent moons
* ½ cup dried cranberries or currants
* 4 cloves garlic
* ½ teaspoon pink sea salt
* ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
* ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
* Freshly ground pepper to taste
* ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Remove center stalk from kale and soak leaves in water to remove any dirt.  Drain.  In fresh water, massage kale to break down cellulose and soften leaves - about 5 to 10 minutes.  Drain leaves and dry well.
 
Finely chop kale leaves.  Place in a bowl with sliced red onion and cranberries or currants. 
 
To make dressing, mince the garlic cloves very finely.  Then add the salt and continue chopping the garlic until it forms a paste.  Add the garlic-salt paste to a jar with the olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Shake until well combined. Pour over the salad and toss well. 
 
Sprinkle the shaved Parmesan on top. 
 
Enjoy!

Click here for more healthy menopause recipes.