It’s a gorgeous Thursday to find more about the health benefits of cabbage.
Cabbage is a very common green leafy vegetable but you can call it also as Repolyo, Brassica Oleracea, Cabbage, Gan Lan, White Cabbage, Lan Cai, Band Gobhii, Kanran, and Kyabetsu.
This is my list of some of the many health benefits of cabbage.
1. Cabbage Is Rich In Vitamins And Minerals
Let’s start first at what nutrients you can get from eating cabbage.
This vegetable has some sugars, proteins, and dietary fiber.
You’ll get vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
Not to mention your minerals, you can get calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
Vegetables like cabbage should always be in your diet. It’s on the low side of calories but is rich in vitamins and minerals.
2. Is Good For Skin Care
Because cabbage is rich in vitamin C, it’s amazing food to keep your skin healthy.
Vitamin C helps in preventing dry skin, reducing wrinkles, and even promoting wound healing.
3. Cabbage May Help Keep Your Heart Healthy
In particular, red cabbage contains compounds called anthocyanins.
Not only that this compound gives cabbage its purple pigment, but there is a correlation of eating foods rich in this pigment with a reduced risk of heart disease.
You’ll get more details about this if you read this publication.
Besides this, cabbage is able to help with managing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels which in effect can keep your heart healthy.
4. Helps With Weight Loss
Cabbage is advocated to add to your diet if you’re trying to lose weight.
It’s a good source of different nutrients while still having low calories.
It’s also high in fiber which can make you feel fuller faster.
5. Cabbage Has Anti-inflammatory Properties
Cabbage is one of those what you call cruciferous vegetables.
Cruciferous vegetables are known to have antioxidants that have been shown to reduce chronic inflammations.
You can read more of this study here.
In different studies, they attribute these anti-inflammatory qualities from kaempferol, sulforaphane, and other antioxidants.
Cabbage also contains glutamine.
Glutamine is considered to have potent anti-inflammatory properties that are helpful in reducing inflammation from allergies, fever, joint pains, and different skin disorders.
6. Helps Keep Your Brain Healthy
Cabbage contains nutrients that promote good brain health.
It contains anthocyanins, iodine, and vitamin K which are beneficial to your brain.
Cabbage also contains choline which is needed for your brain and cellular health.
It’s able to maintain the integrity of cell membranes in your brain that are responsible for concentration, focus, and memory.
7. Cabbage May Help Reduce Blood Pressure
Cabbage is one of those vegetables that’s a good source of potassium.
I guess you already know that reduced salt intake can help lower your blood pressure. There are studies that will also tell you that an increased potassium diet has the same effect in lowering your blood pressure.
It seems that this nutrient has the ability to counteract the effects of sodium to your blood pressure.
To add more, potassium is considered to be a vasodilator. This means that it is able to relax your blood vessels which eases blood flow.
Red cabbage has been seen to have more potassium content.
8. Helps Strengthen Your Bones
Cabbage contains nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
These nutrients help strengthen your bones and protect them from degradation.
Furthermore, cabbage is rich in vitamin K which has been attributed to helping in the strengthening of your bones, cartilages, ligaments, and muscles.
9. Cabbage Is A Good Source Of Vitamin C
Consuming cabbage can help you with your daily vitamin C needs.
Vitamin C does a lot to your body.
It’s able to improve different functions of your body and it also acts as an antioxidant.
10. Helps With Diabetes Management
In this publication, you can see that cabbage is antihyperglycemic.
The anthocyanins in cabbage are also helpful in preventing or treating type 2 diabetes.
11. Cabbage Helps Lower Cholesterol Levels
Cabbage contains soluble fiber and plant sterols that work really well in combating bad cholesterol.
Soluble fiber binds with bad cholesterol and keeps it from being absorbed in your blood.
While phytosterols help block cholesterol from being absorbed in your gut.
12. Is Good For Your Eyes
In particular, red cabbage is a source of beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
All of these contribute in keeping your eyes healthy.
Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A which is for your good eyesight.
While the antioxidants are keeping your eyes away from cataracts and macular degeneration.
13. Cabbage Helps Improve Digestion
Having a high fiber-rich diet can almost guarantee good digestion all the time.
And cabbage is another vegetable that’s a good source of insoluble fiber.
It is able to promote regular bowel movements and is beneficial to the good bacteria in your gut.
14. Is A Source Of Antioxidants
Besides vitamin C which can act as an antioxidant in your body, cabbage also possesses different other antioxidants.
It also has anthocyanins, kaempferol, lutein, sulforaphane, and zeaxanthin.
Antioxidants are awesome in fighting free radicals that cause oxidative damage to your organs which can lead to different chronic diseases.
Bael is a fruit that also contains antioxidants that you may want to check.
Here’s my article about bael’s health benefits.
15. Cabbage Is A Good Source Of Vitamin K
Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin K.
Vitamin K is good for preventing excessive bleeding.
It works with enzymes in your body that are responsible for blood clotting.
16. Helps Detoxify Your Body
Cabbage contains certain compounds that are helpful in detoxifying your body.
These compounds break down waste and in turn, helps your liver in detoxifying your body.
It’s been noted that it’s more significant to people who consume too much alcohol.
Conclusion
For a very common vegetable, you get a lot of health benefits from cabbage.
I like eating cabbage. Stir-frying it with other vegetables is already amazing enough for me.
You may have already guessed it. One of the health benefits of cabbage that I really enjoy is that it has anti-inflammatory qualities.
This is very useful with my gouty arthritis condition.
Among these health benefits of cabbage, which one do you think you need the most?
Cabbage is relatively safe to consume but it’s still needed to inquire first with your doctor or health professional if just in case you currently have a condition that can prevent you from eating cabbage.
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