If you hit a local vegetable vendor you will find variety of green vegetables in majority. We have grown hearing from our parents how all green vegetables are healthy and necessary for our diet. But is it true for all the green vegetables?
Cabbage or Brassica oleracea is a cool season leafy vegetable that belongs to the “Brassica” family, a broad family of common vegetables that also include Brussels, kale, cauliflower and broccoli. It is one of the widely cultivated crops around the world. Cabbage is used in main course meals, fuss free sandwiches or even quick salads. It is an extremely wonderful vegetable for health, as it helps to maintain a strong body and helps in curing certain types of diseases. This is because of the presence of high amounts of nutrients in it which are very beneficial for health. A 100 gm Cabbage consists of 0% fat, 0 % cholesterol, 2% protein and 60 % Vitamin C. It also contains some amount of carbohydrates, Vitamin B6, Iron, Potassium and Calcium.
Cabbage, if consumed on a regular basis, gives best results. Cabbage is very good for treating anaemia as it contains high amount of folic acid in it. It is essential in building up new red blood cells. Cabbage also helps in treating bay colon cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer as it contains a group of chemical compounds which accelerate the estrogen metabolism in the body.
Cabbage is also a bowel cleanser as it helps in treating colitis. The presence of sulphur and chlorine in it helps in treating the inflammation of colon and large intestine. You might smell a foul gas after drinking cabbage juice and that smell is an indication that it has worked. Cabbage contains Vitamin U which helps in treating acute ulcers for it helps in strengthening the inner layer of stomach. Cabbage is very good for digestive system as it eliminates toxins and waste materials from it and helps to maintain good health. Also Cabbage is very good for hair as it helps in preventing the hair from falling and also helps ion increasing the growth of your hair. It not only strengthens your hair but also makes them smoother and softer.
Cabbage is also very efficient in giving relief from headache. For this you have to put some cabbage in a cloth and keep them on the forehead for at least an hour. It gives quick relief. Breast-feeding women sometimes apply cabbage leaves and cabbage leaf extracts to their breasts in order to relieve swelling and pain. Cabbage contains a red pigment in it which is found to lower the sugar content in the blood and also helps in boosting the insulin production. It also contains natural sugar in it which is different from white sugar and is also good for health. The presence of potassium in cabbage helps in maintaining blood pressure. It can also be used to reduce hangover. The presence of large amounts of Vitamin C content in cabbage helps in removing toxic chemicals from the body which are known to cause certain infections such as gout, skin diseases, arthritis and many more.
This is not an ideal world and so nothing comes with only benefits. Cabbage, despite being one of the healthiest vegetables has, side effects. Cabbage is said to cause abdominal discomfort, bloating and flatulence that is a foul odour released from anus. This is due to indigestible sugar in Cabbage which is a complex carbohydrate. Despite having sugar, cabbage can head to hypoglecemia that leads to blood sugar level even below the normal sugar level in the body. Cabbage also increases diarrhea risk. This occurs due to increased movement of waste in digestive track that can sometimes block the intestine.
Hence it is not recommended to cancer patients who already face diarrhea due to chemotherapy. Cabbage can also lead to blood clots due to the presence of Vitamin K. A cup of cabbage contains up to 53 gm of Vitamin K. Doctors suggest one should not take more than 100 gm of Vitamin K in a day. If taken in excess it can interfere with certain medications like blood thinning. Also it is not recommended during pregnancy and nursing period. Cabbage is also said to interfere with blood sugar level highly during pregnancy. Cabbage can also trigger hypothyroidism that is deficiency of thyroid hormone caused due to large amounts of carbohydrate coupled with iodine deficiency.
It is always recommended to wash the vegetables properly before cooking. Raw cabbage though is very beneficial for health but at the same time can lead to a myriad of diseases due to presence of bacteria like in any other raw vegetable. Hence, Stay Healthy, Stay happy.