Cabbage Slaw - a Kidney friendly twist to an American Classic Recipe - KNI - Kidney Nutrition Institute (2024)

Inspiration for a classic made renal friendly!

by Jessica Prohn, MS, RDN, CSR, LDN

During my training to become a Registered Dietitian, I completed my internship and worked part time with the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program in Los Angeles County, CA.

As an intern, I helped to fill in at many clinics in the greater LA area and counseled mothers on the importance of nutrition during pregnancy, lactation, and healthy eating for children ages one through five.

One of the more memorable clinics that I worked in was right in the heart of Los Angeles where most of our clients were Hispanic. My coworkers at this clinic were of Mexican and Central American descent and they helped me with my Spanish speaking skills and shared their regional cuisine with me. Homemade Papusas from El Salvador, tostadas and tamales from Mexico- I ate some of the most amazing food during my time working there!

Lunch breaks were always a communal event where everyone contributed, and this cabbage slaw recipe was a mainstay side for many of the dishes that were prepared and shared. It was always a collaborative effort from a couple of my coworkers to spend their morning break preparing the slaw as it tastes best when it sits for a couple of hours.

This side dish is a wonderful accompaniment to many of these regional dishes because of its fresh and crunchy texture and the cool tangy flavor complements the spice that is often used in Mexican and Central American dishes.

15 years later and I continue to keep this slaw in my rotation of side dishes, my family especially enjoys pairing this with tacos and enchiladas.

Benefits of Cabbage

This side dish provides many benefits from a nutritional standpoint, carrots are a great source of Beta Carotene and Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C. Both cabbage and carrots are lower potassium vegetables and can be enjoyed even for those that need to limit potassium.

Cabbage is a great source of fiber which helps nourish healthy gut bacteria, improves digestion, and can lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well promote a healthy weight.

Red cabbage also contains Anthocyanin- a type of flavonoid in plants that provides the beautiful purple, red, or blue pigment. A few other anthocyanins containing fruits and vegetables are blueberries, eggplant, and blackberries. Flavonoids, like many other properties in plants, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and research has been shown to be beneficial in the prevention of many diseases.

Make it your own!

You can always add different vegetables into this slaw to ramp up your vegetable intake or swap for something you have on hand, sliced bell peppers work well in this dish!

If you are not a fan of cilantro you can always use chopped green onions for a nice flavor booster.However, you choose to serve this up, add this delicious side dish to your menu this week!

Where can I get more ideas?

If you’re looking for more ways to make your nutrition plan out-of-this-world make sure and book a nutrition strategy call with one of our expert dietitians. Our dietitians are incredible at helping you make a plan so you can delay or even stop the progression of kidney disease.