Cabbage is synonymous to pungent odour and repelling flavour. It is one of the least favourite vegetables, particularly among children who make faces of disgust when served some Cabbage. However, if you read this article, you will get to know some surprising facts about Cabbage that can make you fall in love with it! Cabbage is one of the healthiest foods in the world which is packed with nutrition. It is loaded with many vitamins and minerals necessary for the good functioning of your body. Besides improving digestion, Cabbage is also proven to be beneficial to our health in many ways. Let us understand more about this amazing vegetable in detail and learn about the many cabbage benefits for health, hair and skin.
What Is Cabbage?
Cabbage belongs to the Brassica family, which also includes broccoli, cauliflowers and Brussels sprouts. They resemble lettuce in appearance, with many layers of leaves encompassing a central head. It is also called “The king of cruciferous vegetables”. They are commonly available in the market throughout the year and one of the most economical ways of incorporating nutrition in our diet.
Is Cabbage Good For Health?
Until recently, Cabbage has been overlooked for its strong “rotten egg” smell. With many doctors and health experts spreading awareness about this amazing vegetable, it is slowly making its way into the healthy bandwagon. Cabbage is known for anti-cancer properties, along with supplementing for a number of key vitamins and minerals. Also considered to be a superfood, Patta Gobhi benefits our body, skin and hair in many ways.
Different Types Of Cabbage:
There are 7 varieties of Cabbages, with each having a distinct colour, smell and flavour:
- Cannonball Cabbage: The common green cabbage available to us.
- Bok Choy: Also called Chinese Cabbage, it is widely used in Stir-fries, Salads and Soups
- Choy Sum: This is another sub-variety of Chinese Cabbage which can be identified with its yellow flowers.
- Napa Cabbage: It is a soft and sweet cabbage with a delicate texture. Widely in Kimchi salad.
- Savoy Cabbage: It is a colourful Cabbage with green and purple shades, used mainly in wraps.
- January King Cabbage: It is a curly-leaved Cabbage mainly available in January
- Red Cabbage: Also called Purple Cabbage. It is widely used in salads.
Cabbage Nutrition Facts:
Let’s look at the nutritional value of Cabbage, per 100 grams of serving:
- Total Calories: 25
- Total Fat: 0
- Sodium: 18 mg
- Potassium: 170 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 6 gm
- Dietary Fiber: 2.5 gm
- Protein: 1.3 gm
- Vitamin C: 60 % DV
- Vitamin B6: 5 % DV
- Iron: 2 % DV
- Calcium: 4 % DV
- Magnesium: 3 % DV
Wonderful Benefits Of Eating Cabbage:
In this article, we enlisted 20 best benefits of cabbage for health, hair and skin. Let’s have a look into them.
Benefits Of Cabbage For Hair:
Here we enlisted top 2 uses of cabbage for hair. Let’s have a look into them.
1. Prevents Hair Loss:
Cabbages can prevent hair loss and promote hair growth. They are full of Vitamin A which is great for the nourishment of your hair. All you need to do is boiled some cabbage and add some fresh lemon juice. Apply it all over your hair. Keep it for thirty minutes and wash it off with some shampoo. Also, condition it well. This will facilitate hair growth and hydrate it. You can do this twice a day in order to derive benefits out of it.
2. Silky And Shiny Hair:
Raw Cabbage benefits for hair are numerous. They are great for silky and shiny hair. All you need to do in order to get this by simply applying some cabbage juice all over your hair. Apply this juice from the roots to the tips. You can shampoo it after an hour. This will surely make your hair smooth and silky.
Cabbage Benefits For Skin:
Here we enlisted top 4 uses of cabbage for skin. Let’s have a look into them.
3. Improving Your Complexion:
Cabbages are great for your complexion. They will improve the texture of your skin and purify the body completely. Since it is full of Vitamin A, it will rejuvenate the tissues and help you to fight infection at the same time. This is one of the main reasons why cabbages have been used in skin and beauty products. It will give you fairer and simpler complexion in some time.
4. Fights Acne:
Cabbages are full of health and nutrition. They will help you fight acne and different kinds of skin problems. You can use cabbage juice for your skin in order to get rid of this problem effectively. It can also improve your oral health, and by this, we mean that infected gums or bad teeth can also be dealing with. It is abundant in Vitamin C which is very effective for cleansing the body.
5. Promotes Healthy Skin:
Cabbages can also improve the quality of your skin. Any kind of skin irritation can now be healed because of what this amazing vegetable can do. This will give you spotless and beautiful skin only within a couple of weeks. All you need to do is take a cabbage and remove its veins. Compress the leaves between the linen cloth and cotton to make it soft, smooth and supple. Now you should take this compress on the affected area and keep it there for the night. Next morning, you will definitely see some change in your skin.
See More: Red Cabbage Benefits
6. Delaying The Ageing Process:
The delayed ageing process is one of the main Cabbage benefits for the skin. The high amounts of vitamins in cabbage work like magic on your skin. This will keep your skin youthful and radiant all the time. Vitamin D along with Vitamin A will work together and give your skin clean and healthy complexion. There will be no destruction of skin cells which usually happen due to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Health Benefits Of Cabbage:
Here we enlisted top 14 health benefits of cabbage. Let’s have a look into them.
7. Helps You Lose Weight:
Cabbage benefits weight loss aspirants by helping them lose weight quickly. One cup of cabbage contains only 33 calories. Those who would like to lose some weight or watch their diet should definitely make use of this healthy vegetable. You can add it to the bowl of soup or use it to make a tasty Indian curry. This will improve your bowel movement and there will be no weight gain at all. This is one of the significant advantages of cabbage.
8. Use It For Salads:
Cabbages can be used for making healthy salads. Whether you are at a wedding party or are simply having a salad at home, you can easily use this vegetable as a dressing. They are low in calories and full of health and nutrition. They can also be stir-fried with ginger, garlic and chillies in order to prepare a healthy and tasty dish. You can also add it to a salad made up of mangoes, onions, walnuts and dressed with vinegar. We bet it is going to taste amazing.
9. Excellent Healing Properties:
Cabbages are known to possess amazing healing properties. If you skin eruptions like boils, rashes, eczema, leg ulcers etc, you can expect cabbages to provide you with a solution. All you have to do for this is blend some cabbage in a mixer and then wrap the content mixed with some water in a skin-friendly cloth. Keep it on the affected area for about 15 minutes. You can also crush the leaves and apply it directly on the area. Regular application of this will provide great healing to your skin and body.
10. Reduces Alzheimer’s Disease:
The latest research suggests that Alzheimer can be reduced if you have cabbages daily. The red ones especially can be eradicated with the help of this. Vitamin K which is very much present in cabbages is responsible for this. This is one of the lesser-known benefits of eating Cabbage.
11. Treats Scurvy:
Scurvy is a sickness generally portrayed by supply and draining gums, broke lip corners, debilitated resistant framework, continuous diseases and icy, untimely maturing, and gloom which is caused due to an inadequate supply of vitamin c. Cabbage is a plenteous wellspring of Vitamin C. You may be astonished to realize that it is really wealthier in vitamin C than oranges, which is generally viewed as the “best” wellspring of that crucial supplement.
Vitamin C diminishes free radicals in your body that is one of the crucial reasons for untimely maturing. It likewise helps in repairing the wear and tear on the body through the course of your life. Thusly, cabbage is exceptionally useful in treating ulcers, certain diseases, sadness, insusceptible framework boosting, and protecting against hack and frosty. Cabbage vegetable benefits in treating the episodes of scurvy are just truly unbelievable.
12. Treats Constipation:
An absence of roughage in sustenance can bring about constipation, which is the main driver of numerous different illnesses and well-being dangers, for example, stomach ulcers, cerebral pains, gastrointestinal diseases, acid reflux and a resulting loss of craving. The risks of roughage insufficiency even reach out to skin illnesses, dermatitis, untimely maturing and many gentle to genuine conditions. Cabbage is extremely rich in fibre, the principle cabbage health benefits. This helps the body hold water and it keeps up the cumbersomeness of the sustenance as it travels through the entrails.
See More: Cabbage Juice Benefits
13. Cancer Prevention:
Cabbage is an individual from the brassica family, otherwise called cruciferous vegetables. One of their most vital commended advantages to well being is their intense cell reinforcement quality. This implies cabbage and other comparable vegetables rummage free radicals from around the body, which can be extremely impeding to general well being and are significant donors to things like malignancy and coronary illness.
14. Anti Inflammatory:
Another health benefits of cabbage are its development of cadmium-restricting buildings in its leaves, and one of the primary segments of that is glutamine. Glutamine is a solid calming specialist, so expending cabbage can decrease the impacts of numerous sort of aggravation, bothering, sensitivities, joint agony, fever, and different skin issue.
15. Boost Brain Health:
There are immense cabbage health benefits for boosting up brain health. We should not overlook that cabbage is effective mind nourishment! The nearness of Vitamin K and anthocyanins inside cabbage can give a solid help to mental capacity and focus. These are fundamentally found in red cabbage, and vitamin K has been very much looked into, in spite of the fact that it is frequently called the “overlooked vitamin”. This wrapping is the thing that shields nerves from harm and rot. Hence, expending vitamin K can enhance your resistance against neural degeneration, Alzheimer’s malady, and dementia.
16. Immunity Booster:
Immune boosting is one of the major benefits of Cabbage leaves. Regular consumption of cabbage can strengthen your immune system with its anti-microbial properties. Loaded with Vitamin C, this amazing vegetable can ward off many infection-causing bacteria and virus. It is also rich in antioxidants and flavonoids to reduce the cell damage caused due to oxidative stress.
17. Reduces Cholesterol:
Cabbage is proven to lower bad cholesterol levels in the body. The nutrients present in this vegetable can blend well with the acids in the intestine and flush out the cholesterol in the form of stools. Reduced cholesterol levels and improved heart health are some of the main benefits of boiled Cabbage.
18. Treats Stomach Ulcers:
The anti-inflammatory properties of cabbage have shown positive results in treating stomach ulcers. Drinking freshly made Cabbage juice can control acid refluxes and soothe the burning sensation of Ulcers. It also promotes new cell growth for the faster repair of the affected areas. Eating steamed Cabbage also helps in abstinence of digestive disorders.
19. Prevents Cataracts:
Cabbage has high amounts of Beta-Carotene which are converted into Vitamin A upon digestion. This vitamin can strengthen your vision and prevent early stages of cataracts and retina related problems. You can drink Cabbage juice every day for quick absorption of nutrients for faster recovery.
20. Cabbage During Pregnancy:
Consuming Cabbage during pregnancy can help the body get many vital nutrients for better foetal development. Cabbage is also loaded with fibre which can treat constipation and digestive problems. The high amounts of antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress in the body and repair tissues fast.
See More: Cabbage Soup For Weight Loss
Cabbage Side Effects:
Although Cabbage is extremely healthy to our body, it does come with a number of health problems when consumed in excess. Following are some of the side effects:
- Stomach Bloating
- Flatulence
- Indigestion
- Loss Of Appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Hypothyroidism
- Interaction With blood thinners
Surprised reading these facts? Yes! Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable that has always been an underdog. Apart from being served as coleslaw with burgers, cabbage is lesser-known as a delicacy. However, this is one of the most delicious vegetables which when cooked right can instantly satiate your palate. It is also one of the cheapest available foods that can offer numerous health benefits in just one single serving. We hope this article helped you appreciate this nature’s goodness and encourage you to include it in your diet!