Cabbage
nutrition facts
Ever wonder what is
the secret of Chinese
people ever youthfulness? It is cabbage!
Rich in phyto-nutrients, this cool season leafy
vegetable belongs to the "brassica" family of vegetables, which also
include brussels sprouts,
cauliflower,
bok choy, kale and broccoli. It is one of the
widely cultivated crops around the world.
Scientific name: Brassica oleracea (capitata
group).
|
|
|
| Light green variety
|
Savoy-cabbage
|
Red-cabbage |
Structurally, cabbage consists of clusters of
stiff leaves superimposed in compact layers giving it a round or
globular shape. Several different varieties are cultivated worldwide
including green, purple red and savoy (loose wrinkled leaves).
Bok
choy
or "chinese-cabbage" features similar appearance, but
derived from different species of the same brassica genus. Bok choy
distinguishingly has vigorous growth pattern. The whole plant has long
cylindrical shape comprising of short, compact leaves.
Health
benefits of cabbage
-
Fresh, dark green-leafy
cabbage is incredibly nutritious and low in fat and calories (Provides
just 25 cal/100 g).
-
It is storehouse to many
phyto-chemicals like thiocyanates,
indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulforaphane and isothiocyanates.
These compounds are powerful anti-oxidants and known to help protect
against breast, colon, and prostate cancers and help reduce LDL or "bad
cholesterol" levels in the blood.
-
Fresh cabbage is an
excellent source of natural antioxidant, vitamin C. Provides
about 61% of RDA, more than that of in the oranges. Regular
consumption
of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against
infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.
-
It is also rich
in
many
essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine
(vitamin B-6) and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential
in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to
replenish.
-
It also contains good
amount
of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium
is
an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling
heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a
co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase.
Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.
-
Cabbage is very good
source of vitamin K, provides
about 63% of RDA levels. Vitamin-K has potential role in bone
metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in them. So enough
vitamin K in the diet gives you healthy bones. In addition, vitamin-K
also has established role in curing Alzheimer's disease patients by
limiting neuronal damage in their brain.
See the table below for in depth analysis
of nutrients:
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea, capitata group),
Nutrition Value
per 100 g.
(Source: USDA National
Nutrient data base)
| Principle |
Nutrient Value |
Percentage of
RDA |
| Energy |
25 kcal |
1% |
| Carbohydrates |
5.8 g |
4% |
| Protein |
1.3 g |
2% |
| Total Fat |
0.1 g |
0.5% |
| Cholesterol |
0 mg |
0% |
| Dietary Fiber |
2.50 mg |
6% |
| Vitamins |
|
|
| Folates |
53 mcg |
13% |
| Niacin |
0.234 mg |
1.5% |
| Pantothenic
acid |
0.212 mg |
4% |
| Pyridoxine |
0.124 mg |
10% |
| Riboflavin |
0.040 mg |
3% |
| Thiamin |
0.061 mg |
5% |
| Vitamin A |
98 IU |
3% |
| Vitamin C |
36.6 mg |
61% |
| Vitamin K |
76 mcg |
63% |
| Electrolytes |
|
|
| Sodium |
18 mg |
1% |
| Potassium |
170 mg |
3.5% |
| Minerals |
|
|
| Calcium |
40 mg |
4% |
| Iron |
0.47 mg |
6% |
| Magnesium |
12 mg |
3% |
| Manganese |
0.160 mg |
7% |
| Phosphorus |
26 mg |
3.5% |
| Zinc |
0.18 mg |
1.5% |
| Phyto-nutrients |
|
|
| Carotene-α |
33 mcg |
-- |
| Carotene-ß |
42 mcg |
-- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin |
30 mcg |
-- |
Selection and
storage
Cabbage is a
cool season crop. In the US supermarkets, however one may find them
year around. While buying choose fresh, compact, firm, medium size head
heavy for its size.
Pests are
common in cabbage.
Conventionally
grown heads may be subjected to insecticides spray to avoid pest
infestation.
Therefore, wash thoroughly in running water then soak in
saline water for about 30 minutes, again wash in clean water in order
to remove dust, pests, eggs/ova/cysts and any residual insecticides.
Use cabbage
while it is farm fresh to get maximum
health benefits. However, it can be stored in the refrigerator for few
days in
fresh state.
Preparation and serving methods
To prepare,
trim off the stem end and discard any
withered outer layer leaves. Wash the head as described above. Cut the
head into two equal halves and then slice the leaves as you may desire
in the recipes.
Here are some serving tips:
|
Sarmale, stuffed cabbage roll.
Photo courtesy: Michaela.
|
-
Thoroughly cleaned
cabbage can be eaten raw, in fact, is very nutritious.
-
Sliced or grated raw
leaves are added to vegetable salad preparations.
-
Trimmed whole leaves can
go well with sandwiches and burgers.
-
Fresh or pickled cabbage leaves used as rolls
around a filling (sarmale) usually based on minced meat in many parts
of Central
Europe, Balkans, and Asia-minor regions.
-
Stew fried cabbage, onion,
garlic, bell pepper
and green chillies mixed with steamed rice and
soya/chilli/tomato sauce
is one of the favorite dishes (Chowmein)
in china
and other
South East Asian regions.
-
Also used to
prepare a kind of soup with added beet juice and yogurt known as
"borscht",
is very popular in eastern European nations.
Safety
profile
Cabbage may contain
"goitrogens", a plant based
compounds, especially found in cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower,
broccoli
etc, may cause swelling of thyroid gland and should be avoided in
individuals with thyroid dysfunction. However, they may be used
liberally in healthy persons.
<<-Back to Vegetable
Nutrition from Cabbage. Visit
here for impressive list of
vegetables with complete illustrations of their nutrition facts and
health benefits.
<<-Back to Home
page
Click this
link to visit very informative pages on:-
Further
Reading: Refer Stanford School of Medicine Cancer
information Page-
Nutrition
to Reduce Cancer Risk (Opens New Window).
^ Back
to TOP
|
