Health Benefits of Red Cabbage
The health benefits of red cabbage are numerous, including the ability to help you lose weight as well as keep it off. One of the most important health benefits of red cabbage is that it helps control blood glucose levels. It helps regulate insulin levels, which keeps the glucose level in your body at a healthy level. Because of its high fiber content, the fiber can also help your digestive system and other body functions such as digestion and absorption. This makes it a very effective ingredient in health drinks and diet pills as well as being sold in its natural form as fresh red cabbage. In addition, it is also used in some cooking recipes.
The health benefits of red cabbage contain several nutrients including vitamin C, which is proven to be an antioxidant. Antioxidants help remove free radicals that can cause damage to the cells in the body, which leads to various health problems. Vitamin C is also proven to boost the immune system, strengthen your heart, fight cancer and contribute to weight loss. Other nutrients found in foods rich with vitamin C are potassium, phosphorus and manganese.
Another health benefits of red cabbage are associated with calcium. Calcium is known to play an important role in keeping bones strong. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women are encouraged to take a daily supplement of vitamin C to ensure the proper absorption of calcium. Although many health food stores do not stock vitamin C, it is possible to get it by eating citrus fruit, especially orange and grapefruit, which contains high amounts of vitamin C.
The health benefits of red cabbage are not limited to its effects on your heart and cholesterol. Aside from reducing blood sugar levels, it can also prevent various cardiovascular diseases and even help prevent heart disease in itself. Two prominent antioxidants found in the fruit of the plant, beta-carotene and flavonoids, are the main components of the pigment responsible for giving red cabbage its dark color.
Besides all these health benefits of red cabbage, it has a mild, sweet flavor that some find best in a salad. It is a very flexible vegetable, which can be added to a variety of recipes, although you need to make sure that you leave out the skin, which can make the dish too tart. Red cabbage is also considered a popular ingredient in Chinese and Japanese cooking, especially where it adds a wonderful touch to stir-fry, stir-frying vegetables and chicken dishes.
Although delicious, raw red cabbage is not fit for cooking at home. It can be prepared in a variety of ways, but you do risk exposing the fibrous inner core of the vegetable to bacteria and heat. Therefore, it is best to buy it frozen or pickling. There is no reason why you could not enjoy the health benefits of red cabbage either by eating it raw, cooked, steamed, broiled, barbecued or broiled. When buying fresh, go for the ones that have had a longer cooking time, as the longer the better. And if you are a raw foodist, you should always try to eat organically, as the nutrients contained therein may be more inorganic than those in cooked food.
