Purple cabbages attract the eye and surprise with a piquant taste. When this vegetable appears in the kitchen, it is important to know everything about it.
How to cook, what may be useful and not useful.
Botanical features of red cabbage and its benefits for diet
Red cabbage not far from white cabbage - these are related species that are similar in appearance (except for color) and origin - somewhere in the Mediterranean, cabbage varieties were already selected in the 8th century, but purple cabbage is still undeservedly unpopular for all its merits.
And the first thing that catches your eye is the color of all the variations of shades in the palette of red-violet and bluish-purple, and white layers are also visible on the head of the head.
From a culinary point of view, one of the main advantages of purple cabbage is its interchangeability with white cabbage in recipes. So with her, too, they prepare soups, side dishes, main dishes, fillings in pies, pickle it and cut it into salads.
Another plus is the extraordinary color that is preserved during heat treatment.
But the taste during heat treatment, raw cabbage is quite pungent and with bitterness, but on the whole very similar to the taste of white cabbage, it softens. The best tastes, aroma and juiciness (90% of water) are distinguished by small heads of cabbage, which, by the way, are perfectly stored for many months fresh.
Purple cabbage juice is a colorant for sauces, salad eggs, mashed potatoes and dough - from pasta to bread and sweet pastries.
The color, specific taste and many useful properties of red cabbage are due to the content of anthocyanin flavonoids in it.
Being a powerful antioxidant, these substances contribute to the elimination of harmful substances from the body - toxins, toxins, salts of heavy metals.
And the poisonous products of the breakdown of alcohol, which is why it can be recommended to start a feast with an abundance of intoxicating drink with red cabbage snacks, which weaken and delay its inevitable far from positive effect.
Anthocyanins protect the body from radiation, causing him incomparable harm. Red cabbage is also able to regulate the level of leukocytes in the blood, strengthen blood vessels and increase their elasticity. The latter prevents the risks of stroke and heart attack.
Cabbage and glucosinolates - sulfur-containing substances with anticarcinogenic properties - give a special taste of bitterness. Capable of inhibiting the unhealthy activity of cell division, they resist the onset and development of cancer.
Red cabbage - according to all characteristics, a dietary product:
- in 100 grams, only 26 kcal;
- the proportional content of saturated fats is only 1%;
- the high content of coarse fiber allows you to feel full for a long time;
- fiber also helps to cleanse the digestive tract, which, coupled with increased intestinal motility, helps to speed up metabolism;
Being involved in the synthesis of the hormones leptin and adiponectin, purple cabbage thus activates the breakdown of fats in the body and, again, reduces the feeling of hunger.
How are the composition and benefits of red cabbage interconnected
With this lightness, 200 grams of vegetable (recommended maximum dietary intake recommended by nutritionists per day) provides 85% of the daily requirement for vitamin C.
Almost ascorbic acid from purple cabbage is absorbed and distributed by the body according to its needs by almost one hundred percent.
Indispensable for the immune system, carbohydrate and fat metabolism, ascorbic acid is also in demand for the prevention of seasonal vitamin deficiencies.
High content in red cabbage and other vitamins and minerals:
- folic acid (B9) is involved in the production of serotonin, known as the “hormone of joy”, a deficiency of which is fraught with depressive states;
- riboflavin (B2) supports the absorption of iron, accelerates metabolism and the removal of sugars from the body;
- pyridoxine (B6) minimizes the symptoms of motion sickness, heals the skin with dermatological diseases and helps nerve cells absorb glucose (which again positively affects mood);
- retinol (A) protects the oral mucosa from the effects of dental diseases;
- selenium is responsible for supplying cells with oxygen, supports the thyroid gland;
- Zinc increases physical endurance, is able to increase achievements in sports and alleviates the symptoms of rheumatism.
It is also worth noting that phytoncides are part of this cabbage - biologically active substances that play the role of antibiotics, as a result of which the pathogens of various diseases, sometimes very serious, do not capture the human body. Phytoncides from red cabbage are ways to resist even the causative agents of tuberculosis.
Red cabbage, and especially its concentrate in the form of juice, is recommended for the diet table for gastric ulcer, and also as a means of accelerating the regeneration of wounds and various injuries (including bruises and sprains).
In part, these properties are explained by the content of rare vitamin U, which in principle is not synthesized by the human body.
Red cabbage is also very useful as a source of vitamin K, which is responsible for normal blood coagulation, formation and restoration of bone tissues, and functioning at optimal limits of the biological capabilities of the kidneys.
What else can benefit from red cabbage
Eating red cabbage regularly evens and refreshes the complexion, gives the skin velvety tenderness, smoothes wrinkles, and strengthens teeth and nails, gives shine to hair and eliminates yellowness and redness from the whites of the eyes.
Great use of purple cabbage and for many other areas:
- normalization and maintenance of a stable level of cholesterol in the blood;
- purification of the bile ducts and liver;
- kidney treatment when a mild diuretic effect is required;
- treatment of diseases of the upper respiratory tract, from coughing with a cold to chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Due to the minimum content of carbohydrates and a pronounced ability to improve the state of blood vessels, red cabbage is recommended to be added to the diet table for diabetes mellitus of the first and second types.
What could be the harm from red cabbage
Since the leaves of the vegetable are quite hard, with diseases of the stomach and duodenum, the harm of red cabbage is unambiguous. But only if there is her raw. Heat treatment solves the problem. It is undesirable to include purple cabbage in the diet after food poisoning and with pancreatitis.
Despite the fact that this cabbage is uniquely useful for pregnant women, it is worthwhile to include dishes with it very moderately during lactation, in order to avoid colic in a baby that is sensitive to mother’s nutrition.
The harm of red cabbage can also occur when taking medications prescribed to thin the blood - there is evidence that it reduces their effectiveness.
From cabbage you should not eat top (outer) leaves and stalks - both of these are the concentration of nitrates that somehow get into the vegetable, unless it is grown exclusively on an eco-farm.
Otherwise, red cabbage is one of the most harmless vegetables in the world.
