Cabbage

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_ The Cabbage family includes_

 

* broccoli

* Brussels sprouts

* cauliflower

* kohlrabi

* kale

* collards

* Oriental leaf vegetables such as */pak choi/*or

*/pe-tsai,/*familiar to us as napa cabbage, that are actually more

closely related to the turnip family.

 

_Three distinguishing cabbage families are grouped as follows_:

 

# Stem cabbage that includes kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, kale, and collards

# Smooth-leaf and curled-leaf cabbage such as savoy, red, white, and green

head cabbages

# Inflorescent cabbages like broccoli and cauliflower.

 

_In its raw state, cabbage contains:_

 

No cholesterol

Very low in saturated fat

High in calcium

Very high in dietary fiber

High in iron

Very high in magnganese

High in magnesium

Very high in potassium

High in protein

High in thiamin

High in vitamin A

High in vitamin B6

Very high in vitamin C

 

Lengthy cooking tends to lower the nutritional value considerably.

 

Red cabbage is higher in fiber than green, with 4 ounces of it boiled

and drained offering 2.7 grams. It's higher in vitamin C, offering 25.8

grams for 4 ounces cooked. Red cabbage is also higher in calcium, iron,

and potassium than its green cousin.

 

Savoy and napa cabbage can boast they contain 20% of the RDA for vitamin

A, while red and green cabbages contain considerably less. Bok choy

contains the most vitamin A, supplying 60% of the RDA, although it is

equal to red and green cabbage in other nutrients.

 

*_Storing_*

Wrapped in a plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator, cabbage will

keep up to three weeks. However, for its best flavor and nutrition,

serve cabbage at its freshest. If you bring home a cabbage that you've

just purchased at a farmers' market, taste it that same day. More than

likely, it will have a divine sweetness that old cabbage loses. That

sweet cabbage was probably picked the day before market.

 

*Health Benefits*

 

Add chopped cabbage to your salads once a week to help reduce your risk

of lung cancer.

 

Each year lung cancer affects almost 175,000 people, of whom as many as

15 percent are non-smokers. Research suggests cabbage may be a good

preventive measure for those people. In study participants who had never

smoked, people who ate cabbage once per week had lower rates of lung

cancer compared to people who do not eat it often.

 

Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can

make your real age as much as 4 years younger.

 

It is said that cabbage has both antibiotic and anti-irritant properties.