Anti-Inflammatory Cruciferous Salad: Why It Works and How to Make It

Anti-inflammatory cruciferous salad with grated cauliflower, seeds and pomegranate

An anti-inflammatory cruciferous salad is a raw salad built on a base of grated cauliflower and finely chopped spring onion, dressed generously with fresh lemon juice and finished with seeds and pomegranate. It is one of the simplest ways Christine Phillips, Board Certified Integrative Nutrition & Functional Medicine Health Coach in Bryanston, gets a large volume of cruciferous vegetables into a day, and it belongs to the same whole-food, anti-inflammatory approach as her Reset Packs.

In a study of 1,005 women, those eating the most cruciferous vegetables had 12.7% lower TNF-α, 18.2% lower IL-1β and 24.7% lower IL-6 — three circulating markers of inflammation — than those eating the least (Jiang et al., 2014).
Keeping the vegetables raw and chopping them finely matters: it is the cell damage from chopping and chewing that lets the enzyme myrosinase turn glucosinolates into their active compounds, and boiling reduces glucosinolate content more than steaming or stir-frying (Linus Pauling Institute).
The lemon dressing adds vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that protects cells from the reactive oxygen species generated by normal metabolism and active immune cells (Linus Pauling Institute).

It takes about ten minutes, needs no cooking, and is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. It was first published on this site in August 2021 alongside a companion dish, Caprese chicken breasts, and the two have been brought together here.

What makes a salad anti-inflammatory?

An anti-inflammatory salad is one built almost entirely from the foods associated with lower inflammatory markers — above all a high volume of vegetables, with cruciferous vegetables doing the heavy lifting — and dressed with real-food ingredients rather than sugar or seed-oil dressings. In the Jiang study above, all vegetables combined showed a similar but weaker association with lower inflammatory markers, and non-cruciferous vegetables on their own did not (Jiang et al., 2014). That is why this salad is deliberately cruciferous-heavy rather than a leaf salad with a few florets on top.

Why cruciferous vegetables?

Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, rocket and radishes are the cruciferous (brassica) family. They are rich in sulphur-containing compounds called glucosinolates, which the plant enzyme myrosinase converts into isothiocyanates such as sulforaphane when the plant cells are broken by chopping or chewing (Linus Pauling Institute). Because myrosinase is destroyed by boiling, raw or lightly cooked preparations keep more of this activity — in boiled vegetables it is left to gut bacteria to do the job.

How do you make Christine's anti-inflammatory cruciferous salad?

This salad is designed to support lower inflammation and to help reset your system. The base is deliberately simple, and the point is to pack in as many cruciferous vegetables as you like.

The salad

1 head of cauliflower, grated
3 spring onions, finely chopped
Any other cruciferous vegetables you enjoy — shredded cabbage, kale, grated broccoli stem, rocket — plus seeds for crunch

The dressing

Juice of two fresh lemons

Blend the dressing and pour it into a glass bottle. When you serve the salad, pour the lemon dressing over generously, then scatter seeds and pomegranate seeds over the top to style your plate.

What can you serve it with?

The companion dish Christine published with this salad is Caprese chicken breasts — chicken breasts finished the classic Caprese way, with tomato, mozzarella and basil — which anchors the plate with protein.

Caprese chicken breasts with tomato, mozzarella and basil

If you are keeping the meal dairy-free, grilled chicken or fish with a squeeze of the same lemon dressing works just as well.

Where does it fit in a Reset?

Cruciferous vegetables are a daily feature of the Health Yourself Reset Packs — the Nutrition Reset is built around at least 20 different vegetables a day to reduce inflammation for repair and renewal, and the Hormone Reset leans on cruciferous vegetables in its hormone-support days. This salad is a way to carry that habit into the weeks between Resets.

Frequently asked

Can I use broccoli or cabbage instead of cauliflower?

Yes. The point of the salad is a large volume of cruciferous vegetables, so grated broccoli stem, finely shredded cabbage, kale or rocket all work. Cauliflower is simply the easiest to grate into a couscous-like base.

Should the vegetables be raw or cooked?

Raw, or at most lightly steamed. Chopping and chewing raw cruciferous vegetables lets the plant enzyme myrosinase convert their glucosinolates into the active compounds, and boiling both inactivates that enzyme and leaches glucosinolates into the water, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

Is this salad gluten-free and dairy-free?

Yes. As written it contains only vegetables, lemon juice, seeds and pomegranate, so it is gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free, which is why it fits the Reset Pack protocols.

Sources

Jiang Y, Wu SH, Shu XO, et al. Cruciferous vegetable intake is inversely correlated with circulating levels of proinflammatory markers in women. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2014;114(5):700–708.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.12.019. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4063312/
Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. Cruciferous Vegetables — Micronutrient Information Center (updated 2016, reviewed 2017). https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/food-beverages/cruciferous-vegetables
Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University. Vitamin C — Micronutrient Information Center (updated May 2025, reviewed June 2025). https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C

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