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1. Benefits
2. Nutrition
3. Diet
4. Risks
Cabbage, which is often lumped into the same category as lettuce because of
their similar appearance, is actually a part of the cruciferous vegetable family.
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, kale, and broccoli are notorious for
being chock-full of beneficial nutrients. If you are trying to improve your
diet, cruciferous vegetables are a good place to start.
The cabbage may help protect against radiation, prevent cancer, and
reduce heart disease risk.
Cabbage can vary in color from green to red and purple, and the leaves can
be smooth or crinkled. There is a range of cabbage products available
for purchase online. With less than 20 calories per half cup cooked, it is a
vegetable worth making room on your plate for.
Benefits
Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a
reduced risk of many adverse health conditions.
All the untreated rats died, but over 50 percent of those receiving DIM
remained alive at the 30-day mark.
The same researchers ran the experiment on mice and found similar results.
They were able to determine that the DIM-treated mice had higher counts of
red and white blood cells and blood platelets, which radiation therapyoften
diminishes.
It is thought that DIM has protective effects against cancer, but this study
shows there is also hope for using it as a shield to protect healthy tissues
during cancer treatment in the future.
2) Cancer prevention
Another potential cancer-fighting compound found in cabbage is sulforaphane.
Research over the past 30 years has consistently shown that consuming
cruciferous vegetables is associated with a lower risk of cancer.
More recently, researchers have been able to pinpoint that the sulfur-
containing compound that gives cruciferous vegetables their bitter taste —
sulforaphane — is also what appears to give them their cancer-fighting power.
Researchers are currently testing sulforaphane's ability to delay or impede
cancer. Promising results at the molecular level have been seen with multiple
types of cancers, including melanoma, esophageal, prostate, and pancreatic.
Researchers have discovered that sulforaphane has the power to inhibit the
harmful enzyme histone deacetylase (HDAC), known to be involved in the
progression of cancer cells. The ability to stop HDAC enzymes could make
sulforaphane-containing foods a potentially powerful part of cancer treatment.
In the lab, anthocyanins have been shown to slow cancer cell proliferation, kill
already formed cancer cells, and stop the formation of new tumor growths. It
is not known whether these effects will carry over into cancer prevention or
treatment in humans.
3) Heart health
The same potent anthocyanins in red cabbage that help protect against
cancer have been shown to suppress the inflammation that may lead to
cardiovascular disease.
The fiber and water content in cabbage also help to prevent constipationand
maintain a healthy digestive tract. Eating adequate fiber promotes regularity,
which is crucial for the excretion of toxins through the bile and stool.
Recent studies have shown that dietary fiber may even play a role in
regulating the immune system and inflammation, consequently decreasing the
risk of inflammation-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, cancer, and obesity.
Nutrition
According to the USDA National Nutrient Database, 1 half cup of shredded
cooked cabbage (75 grams) contains:
17 calories
1 gram of protein
Eating a half-cup of cooked cabbage would provide 30-35 percent of daily
vitamin C needs. It also provides:
11 milligrams of magnesium
22 micrograms of folate
Plus, lesser amounts of vitamin B-6, calcium, potassium, and thiamin.
Red cabbage tends to contain more of these compounds than green cabbage.
Diet
Add shredded cabbage to any salad or fresh coleslaw.
Choose a cabbage that is heavy for its size. Make sure the leaves are tight
and firm as loose leaves indicate an older cabbage. Store cabbage in the
refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Cabbage can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, roasted, sautéed, or stuffed. The
sulfurous odor often associated with cabbage only develops when the
cabbage is overcooked. The longer a cabbage is cooked, the stronger the
odor becomes.
Keep it simple and drizzle roasted chopped cabbage with olive oil, cracked
black pepper, and minced garlic
Add shredded cabbage to a fresh green salad
Add chopped cabbage to any soup or stew near the end of cooking
Or try these healthy and simple recipes developed by registered dietitians:
Risks
A popular fad diet known as the Cabbage Soup Diet surfaced in the 1950s
and is still moderately popular. It centers on consuming an unlimited amount
of cabbage soup and was touted as a quick weight-loss fix.
However, any weight lost from following this diet will quickly return once the
dieter begins eating normally again. If you do not want to eat cabbage soup
daily for the rest of your life, you should not start a cabbage soup diet.
Instead, focus on eating more whole, unprocessed foods and a variety of fruits
and vegetables, including cabbage. If you are taking blood-thinners, such as
Coumadin (warfarin), it is important that you do not suddenly begin to eat
more or less foods containing vitamin K, which plays a large role in blood
clotting.
Some people also have trouble digesting cruciferous vegetables and may
have digestive symptoms. Eating small portions and cooking the cabbage well
may help.
It is the total diet that is most important for preventing disease and maintaining
good health. It is better to eat a diet with a wide variety of foods than to
concentrate on single foods.
A variety of cabbage products are available for purchase online.
We picked linked items based on the quality of products, and list the pros and cons of each to help
you determine which will work best for you. We partner with some of the companies that sell these
products, which means Healthline UK and our partners may receive a portion of revenues if you
make a purchase using a link(s) above.
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