Emotional Cabbage

When I was a little kid I associated the thought of eating cabbage with one of two things. First, was that cabbage played a part in the nasty creation that is coleslaw and it in turn must be nasty on it’s own. The second thought, was that cabbage was the lightly sprinkled attempt to make chow mein healthy. It wasn’t until recently that I started experimenting with the beautiful goddess vegetable that is cabbage.

Winter is the perfect time of year to get funky with cabbage. Cabbage loves cool weather and can survive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees. Like other root vegetables, cabbage thrives in the fall and winter because they love the cold. In the winter, cabbage is at it’s peak making it sweeter in taste and more nutrient dense compared to other times of year. And spoiler alert, it can be used in more than just mushy coleslaw and Chinese takeout. It seems like such a simple vegetable and an obvious realization, but I am now converted to cabbage!

Cabbage contains a vast amount of Vitamin C and E. Both of which work as a natural form of antioxidants to protect against oxidative stress. Cabbage, like most leafy greens, is high in fibre. Fibre is of course all the rage right now, because it feeds and helps filter our gut microbiomes. Eating cabbage can be an easy way to maintain regular digestion and soothe a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders. For hundreds of years, Chinese medical practitioners have recommended cabbage juice as the “magic cure” for peptic ulcers. The properties within cabbage can reduce the presence of glucosinolates compounds, literally soothing inflammation and speeding up the recovery process.

So how do we incorporate this magic vegetable into our day-to-day diets? Here are a few of my tried, tested, and true cabbage eats!

• Stir-fried cabbage and veggies

• Homemade Kimchi

• Cabbage added to any soup recipe

• Baja fish tacos

• Pan fried spicy Italian sausage and cabbage

• Scratch made dumplings

• Grilled cabbage Caesar salad

• Thai cabbage wraps

References

Medicalnewstoday.com. 2020. Cabbage: Health Benefits, Facts, Research. [online] Available at: <https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/284823#:> [Accessed 23 November 2020].

Podsędek, A., Redzynia, M., Klewicka, E. and Koziołkiewicz, M., 2020. Matrix Effects On The Stability And Antioxidant Activity Of Red Cabbage Anthocyanins Under Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion.

RxList. 2020. Cabbage: Health Benefits, Uses, Side Effects, Dosage & Interactions. [online] Available at: <https://www.rxlist.com/cabbage/supplements.htm> [Accessed 23 November 2020].