Cabbage is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables around. Here's why.
Few foods are thought to be more synonymous with health than garden salads. Though often only praised for nutritious toppings and ingredients such as tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, chopped onions, hard-boiled eggs, and greens like iceberg or romaine, garden salads can also have plenty of problematic ingredients. Croutons, bacon bits, ground beef, too much cheese, and creamy salad dressing can all be worrisome. Such ingredients are why one report shows some salads having more calories than a burger.
To make salads healthier, vinaigrettes are often substituted for creamy dressing; nuts, seeds, and roasted chickpeas are substituted for croutons; grilled chicken replaces ground beef and bacon; and greens like iceberg are replaced with more nutrient-dense ones like kale and spinach.
Cabbage is another healthier substitute for some salad greens and is an ingredient in other sides and dishes that are continually growing in popularity.
What is cabbage?
Belonging to the same cruciferous vegetable family as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli; cabbage is a leafy plant known for its dense leaves, earthy flavor, and satisfying crunch. While popular in garden salads, cabbage is also "a key ingredient in dishes like coleslaw, sauerkraut, stir-fries, stuffed cabbage rolls, and hearty soups like borscht," says Caroline Susie, a registered dietician and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Indeed, "cabbage’s versatility and delicious flavor in recipes is virtually unmatched," adds Katherine Tallmadge, a nutrition author and registered dietitian at Personalized Nutrition. "The vegetable can be sweet, savory, spicy, salty, sour, and is eaten in every culture known to man," she says.
There are more than 400 varieties of cabbage, but green cabbage, red (purple) cabbage, and napa cabbage (also known as Chinese cabbage) are the most popular. Bok choy is another type of cabbage that people love - though it's different in appearance from red or green cabbage as it doesn't have a round head with tight, overlapping leaves; but instead has loose, separate leaves with thick white stalks.
China is by far the world's largest producer of cabbage; followed by India, Russia, Japan, and then South Korea, per World Atlas.
Is cabbage good for you?
No matter where the cabbage you eat comes from, the vegetable packs a host of health benefits. A single serving of raw, green cabbage, for instance, contains protein, calcium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Cabbage is also high in insoluble fiber, which aids with blood sugar regulation, "and helps with digestion regularity," says Leslie Bonci, a sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of Active Eating Advice.
Bonci adds that cruciferous vegetables like cabbage can also "decrease your risk of colon cancer due to the presence of glucosinolates and other plant chemicals," including isothiocyanates and sulforaphane. "Sulforaphane is especially important because it modulates genetic and non-genetic mechanisms that are effective at preventing genetic and non-genetic cancer-inducing mechanisms in the liver, breast, lung, and colon," explains Tallmadge.
She adds that the vegetable also contains important phytonutrients such as anthocyanin - which can lower risk of heart disease and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Cabbage is low in calories - only about 200 in a small or medium head - which, combined with its satiety due to it's high-fiber content, make it a great food for healthy weight management.
Can you eat cabbage every day?
Despite so many health benefits, some people may want to consume cabbage in moderation. "It can cause bloating or gas in some people due to its fiber and natural sulfur compounds," cautions Susie. But she adds that cooking it "can help reduce its gas-forming properties and make it easier to digest."
Moreover, "people on blood-thinning medications should be mindful of cabbage's high vitamin K content, which can affect clotting," Susie says.
So long as such considerations are kept in mind though, she says cabbage is a great food to include as part of a healthy diet because "cabbage has an impressive nutrition profile, is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and supports digestion and overall health."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is cabbage good for you?
