Make This Awesome and Colorful Red Mexican Cabbage Slaw

Red Cabbage Mexican Slaw Recipe

Make this Red Cabbage Mexican Slaw and learn about the research that shows that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors. This is a great way to get lots of cancer-fighting phytochemicals, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. 

Not only is eating from the colors rainbow good for us, but a beautiful plate makes our meals more appealing and tastes delicious too! When we eat from the colors of health: eat 5 cups a day, it is one of the best ways to protect ourselves in preventing cancer.

I love this slaw because it is fast and easy, fresh and crunchy, full of nutrition and fiber, and last but not least, vibrant, bright, and zesty! What is not to love! In addition, it is full of the colors of health and wellness!

What Are The Colors of Health?

Each color of fruit and vegetables (and even other plant foods like olives, nuts, legumes, and seeds) contains a distinct group of chemicals that provide these colors. These colors make up what is known as phytochemicals.

Phytochemicals are plant chemicals (phyto means plant in Greek) that occur naturally in plants. Not only do they provide plants with color, but also odor and flavor.

These plant chemicals help the plants in many ways, for example, protecting them from insects and animals. When we eat them, they also provide lots of health benefits like protecting us from heart disease, cancer, and other chronic health conditions.

They can also help reduce inflammation in our bodies and help boost our immune system!

Here are the Colors of Healthy Plant Foods and Examples

Why eat different colors of fruits and vegetables? The more that we eat each day, the more benefits we have!

• Purple: blueberries, blackberries, red cabbage, beets, black olives, and black beans
  
• Red: tomatoes, watermelon, and red grapefruit
  
• Orange: carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash
  
• Yellow: corn, yellow squash, and bananas
  
• Green: peas, green beans, and kiwi
  
• Dark green: kale, spinach, romaine, chard, and collards
  
• White: onions and garlic
  
• Brown: mushrooms

For more information about the benefits of fruits and vegetables by color, here is a great handout with more information!

Colors of Fruits and Vegetables, and Benefits of Phytochemicals for Cancer Prevention

I mentioned the benefits of eating different colored fruits and vegetables for many aspects of our health, but today, I am going to focus on how they can help prevent and help people survive cancer:

• Stimulates the immune system
  
• Blocks things from the air we breathe, food we eat, and drink from becoming carcinogens

• Reduces inflammation to help prevent cancer growth
  
• Prevents DNA damage & assists with DNA repair

• Reduces oxidative damage to cells that may start cancer growth
  
• Slow the growth rate of cancer cells

• Trigger damaged cells to commit suicide before they can reproduce
  
• Helps regulate hormone levels

This is a short list of some of the colorful foods used in my new Colorful Cabbage Slaw and some of the great things that it can do to help prevent cancer.

List of Phytochemicals in Plants

Carotenoids
Like beta-carotene found in rich orange colored vegetables like carrots,  lycopene found in red foods, lutein, and zeaxanthin found in green leafy vegetables like cilantro. Carotenoids may reduce cancer cell growth, act as antioxidants, and benefit the immune response

Flavonoids
Such as anthocyanins found in limes and other citrus foods (considered orange-yellow food instead of deep orange) may stop inflammation and tumor growth; may assist immunity and increase the production of detoxifying enzymes in the body.

Indoles and Glucosinolates 
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage are considered a green food that is rich in sulforaphane, which may cause an increased amount of detoxification of cancer-causing chemicals, reduce the production of cancer-related hormones, stop carcinogens, and prevent tumor growth. In addition, cruciferous vegetables also contain isothiocyanate, which may begin the detoxification process of carcinogens, limit tumor growth, and work as antioxidants.

Polyphenols
These include ellagic acid and resveratrol, which are found in purple pigments like red pepper and purple cabbage. Polyphenols prevent cancer formation, inflammation, and work as antioxidants.

Recipe for Red Mexican Cabbage Slaw

Colorful Mexican Cabbage Slaw

This recipe for red cabbage Mexican slaw includes lots of traditional Mexican flavors. I tried to use all the colors possible in this slaw! It looks beautiful, tastes great, and is also good for us also with an abundance of phytochemicals!

It makes a great side dish or a topping for sandwiches or grilled proteins. You can also use it as a Mexican slaw for tacos. I think it would taste great with these sweet potato black bean tacos from Alexandra from Delish Knowledge.

Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 cups grated cabbage

1/2 cup grated red cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup thawed frozen corn

Slaw Dressing

1 lime squeezed

1/3 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 clove garlic minced

1 teaspoon honey or sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, mix slaw ingredients and lightly toss. Mix all of the slaw ingredients in a cruet or mason jar and shake well. Toss over the slaw and mix well. Move the slaw to a serving bowl and serve.

Make Red Mexican Cabbage Slaw

I hope that you get a chance to make this amazing and colorful red Mexican cabbage slaw and get those colors from healthy plant food.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist living in Asheville, I love sharing recipes from my kitchen with friends, family, and clients to help them stay healthy! I am so glad that you found my blog, and I hope that you give this Red Cabbage Mexican Slaw recipe a try. Find more colors of health and wellness in my post on an ultimate vegetarian meal planning for menopause!

As a registered dietitian nutritionist who has worked with women in midlife most of her career, and is now living well during the change of life, I would love to help you live your best life too! You can find out more about me here!

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