You might find it a bit surprising, but cabbage actually contains more Vitamin C than oranges do, which are traditionally assumed to be the best natural source. Vitamin C is essential if you want to age gracefully or maintain a powerful immune system, and it can even reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative neural diseases.
2. It's Rich in Sulfur
Sulfur is a highly useful nutrient because it is used to fight infections, and a deficiency can increase the time wounds take to heal, and also put you at a much higher risk of contracting a microbial infection. Luckily, all you need to do is to add a little cabbage to your daily diet to prevent this from ever happening.
3. It's a Fantastic Source of Roughage
Cabbage is a brilliant source of fiber, which helps the body retain water, and also maintains the bulkiness of food as it's being digested. As a result, cabbage is the perfect natural remedy for many digestion-related conditions, such as constipation.
4. It Can Help Prevent Cancer
Cabbage contains a good amount of anti-cancer compounds, such as sinigrin, sulforaphane, and lupeol, that are known to inhibit the growth of dangerous tumors. In one Chinese study performed on breast cancer patients, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage were shown to provide the patients with a significant improvement.
Cabbage tends to accumulate a build-up of cadmium-binding complexes within its leaves, and one of its primary components is glutamine, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Consequently, consuming cabbage can reduce the effects of many kinds of inflammation, fever, joint pain, allergies, skin irritation, and quite a few other skin disorders.
6. It Can Help You Lose Weight
Cabbage is the perfect ingredient for someone who wants to lose weight healthily. It's packed with many essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and its high levels of fiber makes it quite filling. The best part is that there are only 33 calories in a single cup of cooked cabbage!
7. It Keeps Your Brain Healthy
8. It Regulates Your Blood Pressure
The potassium found within cabbage can help you to lower your blood pressure, thereby decreasing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. This is because potassium acts as a vasodilator, which means that it opens up the blood vessels and eases the blood flow.
As a rich source of beta-carotene, cabbage is able to delay the formation of cataracts, prevent macular degeneration and generally promote good eye health. What's more, beta-carotene can also reduce your chances of contracting prostate cancer.
10. It Prevents Premature Aging
The many antioxidants that cabbage contains play a huge role in your body's response to the aging process, since they help to eliminate free radicals. These free radicals have been found to be the underlying cause of skin discoloration, age spots, and wrinkles.
Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, are great sources of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Providing your body with these 3 essential minerals will help keep your bones stronger, and can help prevent the onset of osteoporosis.
12. It Eases Muscle Aches
When certain kinds of bacteria are allowed to ferment cabbage's sugars, such as during the preparation of sauerkraut, lactic acid ends up being released. This is good because lactic acid has been proven to effectively reduce muscle aches and soreness.
13. It Can Help Detoxify Your Body
By getting rid of free radicals and uric acid, cabbage can help to prevent gout, rheumatism, renal calculi, arthritis, skin diseases, and eczema. This detoxifying effect is due to the high amount of sulfur and Vitamin C that cabbage contains.