At the mention of cabbage, the first association in most people with white cabbage. In garden plots, it is the most popular species of the cruciferous family. Gardeners give preference to it due to its beneficial properties, ease of cultivation and unique taste. All about the origin of cabbage, its benefits and harms to health, as well as options for use will be discussed in the article.
Origin and botanical description of the culture
White cabbage
The Russian word “cabbage” comes from the ancient Roman “kaputum”, which translates as “head”. A legend has survived to this day that the god of the sky and thunderstorms, Jupiter, in his labors shed drops of sweat from his head on the earth. Subsequently, vegetation began to grow in this place, resembling the shape of a head, that is, cabbage.
Greeks, Georgians and even Italians also fight for the right to be called the discoverers of this culture. Many philosophers and scientists closely studied cabbage, wrote books about it, cultivated varieties. Ancient Roman doctors attributed medicinal properties to her, healing from many diseases.
The popularity of cabbage spread throughout Europe after the XNUMXth century. Thanks to the great content vitamin C sailors took it on their journeys to prevent the development of scurvy.
Cabbage settled on Russian landholdings around the XNUMXth century. Seeds were brought to Kievan Rus from the coast of the Caucasus. The Slavs liked the vegetable. Cabbage was almost the main dish; it was stewed, fermented, cooked cabbage soup, and stored up for the long winter. The culture was revered by both simple peasants and princes. According to history, Rostislav Mstislavich, prince of Smolensk, presented his friend a cabbage field (skit) as a valuable gift.
Cabbage field
White cabbage is a two-year round culture, leaves are wide, spreading, the height of the inner stem is from 15 to 25 cm, depending on the variety. In the first year after planting, a head is formed, if the variety is early ripening and there was an early planting, then flowering shoots appear in the same season. In other cases, the pods of the peduncle give seeds not earlier than the second year after planting. The root system is strong, branched (fibrous). Pollination of peduncles is cross, carried out by the transfer of pollen by bees on average from 15 to 25 days.
Composition and calorie content
Fresh cabbage is more than 90% water. Its energy and nutritional value is about 25 kcal per 100 g of product. The chemical composition of white cabbage contains the following substances:
Ingredients
Quantity per 100 g
Proteins
1,28 g
Fats
0,1 g
Carbohydrates
5,6 g
Food fibers
1,9 g
Di- and monosaccharides
4,5 g
Ash
0,64 g
potassium
130 mg
Magnesium
14 mg
Calcium
45 mg
Manganese
120 μg
Phosphorus
30 mg
Sulfur
77 mg
Zinc
250 μg
Bor
200 μg
Selenium
0,76 μg
Fact! The younger the cabbage is, the more benefit it has because of sulforaphane. This compound neutralizes the action of carcinogens.
In addition to macro- and microelements, the chemical composition of the product contains the following vitamins:
Vitamins
Quantity per 100 g
C (ascorbic acid)
30-60 mg
B9 (folic acid)
40-120 µg
B2 (riboflavin)
0,025 mg
RR (nicotine to)
0,3 mg
K (phylloquinone)
75 μg
Biotin
0,9 μg
Beta-carotene
15-60 µg
B1 (thiamine)
0,03 mg
B6 (pyridoxine)
0,15 mg
There is almost no starch in the composition, only 0,03 g, but there are steroid compounds (phytosterols) that can reduce the concentration of harmful cholesterol in the human body by 13-17%.
Cutaway cabbage
Useful Properties
The vegetable is rich in minerals, organic acids and nutrients, which is why adding it to the weekly diet is a good prevention of vitamin deficiency.
The greatest benefit from white cabbage is when consumed fresh, since all vitamins are preserved. If a person has diabetes mellitus, then nutritionists recommend boiling the vegetable first. During the cooking process, the sugar content decreases, but some of the vitamins are inevitably destroyed.
Boiled cabbage contains almost no sugars
For men, women and children
According to statistics, men are more prone to cardiovascular diseases than women. Cabbage dishes strengthen blood vessels. With heart disease, it is not advisable to eat vegetables with a high content of oxalic acid, but there is little of it in white cabbage leaves, about 1 mg per 100 g of product. This means that in small quantities, cabbage is useful for men, moreover, taking cabbage juice is the prevention of atherosclerosis.
But! It should be borne in mind that cabbage is prohibited on the menu after a myocardial infarction. Its juice increases gas production in the stomach and, as a consequence, the load on the heart.
For men suffering from urolithiasis, doctors prescribe cabbage to be included in the diet. The phytosterols in the composition reduce the residual volume of urine, while increasing the pressure of the jet, which leads to a decrease in inflammation of the prostate gland.
Cabbage is good for men
Sauerkraut, so beloved by many men, will give energy and help maintain potency for many years.
As for the health of women, we must not forget that the tartronic acid in the composition controls the correct distribution of fats and carbohydrates obtained from food. That is, it helps to spend carbohydrates for energy, without their deposition in fat reserves.
On a note! Tartronic acid breaks down at high temperatures.
Overeating in any case will negatively affect the figure and health. Cabbage stimulates metabolism, which will contribute to early weight loss.
Cabbage helps you lose weight
The influence of cabbage will positively affect both women and young girls, since the vegetable controls puberty. And sulforaphane in the composition prevents breast cancer.
For children under one year old, white cabbage is prohibited due to the immaturity of the digestive tract. At the age of 1,5 years and older, the product is recommended by pediatricians in the weekly diet, since the vitamins in the composition and the absence of sugar are beneficial to the growing body.
During pregnancy and breastfeeding
The main advantage of plant culture for pregnant women is the high content of folic acid. Vitamin B9 is important at the planning stage of a child, and subsequently is responsible for the correct development of the fetal neural tube. Folic acid is produced in a small amount in the human body; additionally it can be obtained from food. Cabbage is extremely useful in this case.
Cabbage is allowed during pregnancy
Due to the fact that the product causes flatulence, it is better for pregnant women to use it stewed or in soups.
During lactation, women need a high content of vitamins, but there is a myth that cabbage provokes colic in babies. There is no exact evidence for this, therefore, if the baby did not show a reaction in the form of allergies, rashes or constipation, then cabbage can be safely included in the diet of a nursing mother in reasonable quantities.
On a note! Broken cabbage leaves reduce breast lumps (lactostasis). To do this, they need to be applied to the sore area for several hours and changed when dry.
In dietetics and weight loss
The dietary menu contains stewed, boiled or raw cabbage. This is because when frying, the calorie content of the dish increases greatly, and when losing weight, this is not the best option.
If we talk about diets, then we must not forget that a sharp nutritional deficiency will affect the body in the form of stress, and the thrown off weight can return with interest.
The best method is to include in your regular diet and eat a lot of greens. Herbaceous vegetation contains a lot of dietary fiber, which makes you feel full, which means the likelihood of overeating will decrease. Vegetables are low in calories. Regularly add salad of cucumbers, chopped cabbage leaves, tomatoes to the main meal and then energy will be added due to the obtained vitamins.
Fresh cabbage salad is good for weight loss
Secret! Unrefined sesame oil will give an unusual taste and aroma to a fresh vegetable salad. The benefits of such dressing are increased several times due to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids.
What happens if you eat cabbage every day
In medicine
For many centuries, plant culture has been studied by scientists and doctors. And for good reason. British researchers in 2018 published a series of scientific evidence that the cruciferous family helps fight bowel cancer and other tumors. A substance (Indole-3-Carbinol) is formed in the digestive tract during the digestion of cabbage, which helps to restore the tissues of the lower intestines. There is a regeneration of immune cells and a decrease in inflammation.
Scientists from Georgetown University have confirmed that the chemicals in cruciferous plants block the negative effects of radiation and remove radiation pollution from the body.
We say with confidence that the benefits of white cabbage have been officially confirmed in clinical medicine.
Cabbage juice heals the body
In cosmetology
As a cosmetic product, cabbage has a lot of values for women. When caring for your skin, you must take into account the individual characteristics of the body. Cabbage juice is a universal antiseptic. It is added to lotions, masks, creams. Methods of application in cosmetology:
- Whitening freckles and age spots… The napkin is moistened in juice and applied to the face for 5-7 minutes.
- Softening hand cream… Add one teaspoon of juice to baby cream and immediately apply to the skin of the hands or rough areas of the body.
- Face tonic… Mix cucumber and cabbage juices in a 1: 1 ratio, apply to oily skin once a day. For dry skin, exclude cucumber juice.
- Hair Mask… Mix cabbage and lemon juice, apply to hair roots for 10 minutes, rinse with cool water.
Cabbage juice softens the skin
Sauerkraut is also suitable for beauty treatments, but it shouldn’t contain any additives.
In folk medicine
“Attach a cabbage leaf and everything will pass.” This expression has been known for decades. And all because the useful, medicinal and medicinal properties of cabbage have helped many people.
What are they used for:
- Against cough… Cabbage juice diluted with water (1: 1) is an antiseptic. They can be gargled or drunk in small portions.
- Sauerkraut pickle helps restore water-salt balance in the body and actively helps with a hangover. Also, brine is taken for constipation, hemorrhoids, liver and bladder diseases.
- With viral infections mix cabbage juices, aloe and add honey. Take 1 tsp. several times a day.
- From insomnia 1 tbsp Pour boiling water over the seeds and leave for a couple of hours. After straining, mix the broth with 50 ml of cabbage juice and take several sips 2 times a day.
- Burns, eczema, neurodermatitis, warts popularly treated with slightly beaten leaves. They were applied to the diseased skin area, bandaged with a gauze bandage and changed every 2-3 hours.
- For migraine… Chilled and broken leaves are placed on the frontal part of the head and lightly fixed with a towel.
- With calluses and cracks… The coarse part must first be steamed in a bath with the addition of soda, and then apply a gruel from a sheet of grated cabbage and fat cream. Wrap up the area for a couple of hours.
Cabbage brine helps restore salt balance
Each family has its own secrets of using this vegetable crop, the only rule is not to overdo it, so that white cabbage does not harm.
In oriental medicine
Asian healers used the vegetable in the treatment of ailments without residues. Stems as a pain reliever, and juice from the leaves with the addition of wine against poisonous stings of insects and animals. Squeezed juice to improve sleep and peptic ulcer disease. Fresh heads of cabbage were eaten for the treatment of bronchitis and for chronic cough.
The ancient Roman leader and commander Cato the Elder said that the properties of white cabbage are capable of curing breast diseases, cancer and ulcers like no other remedy.
Fresh vegetables are most beneficial
In cooking
Hundreds of cabbage recipes are known all over the world. Each country has its own specialties that will appeal to many. In Russia, chefs can boast of aromatic borscht, which is the most famous in our country. Cabbage soup in Russia is a traditional peasant dish. It was prepared from fresh and sauerkraut, with or without meat, served with sour cream or just dill, and even added nettles.
Most popular dishes:
- cabbage soup;
- cabbage rolls;
- vegetable stew;
- pickled or sauerkraut with apples.
Borsch is a national Slavic dish
But the most favorite dish for both children and adults is pies. The cabbage filling is added to pies, pies, pies, and this pastry wonderfully does not get boring.
White cabbage has not only a lot of useful properties, but some contraindications for use.
Dangerous properties and contraindications
There are a number of reasons why cabbage is contraindicated. First, even a healthy person should not abuse vegetables. The harm of white cabbage is observed from an excess of fiber and organic acids, which affects the gastrointestinal tract. There are also restrictions on the intake of vegetables for people with the following diseases:
- gastroenterocolitis;
- pancreatitis;
- gastritis with increased acidity of the stomach;
- thyroid disease;
- irritable bowel syndrome;
- liver disease;
- suffered a heart attack.
In case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, the product is strictly dosed
When the disease is in the acute phase, the product is prohibited in the diet. If the disease is in remission, then it is better to give preference to stewed or boiled dishes so as not to cause aggravation or discomfort.
Caution should be exercised when using cabbage for people with iodine deficiency.
When fresh, the plant contains goitrogens. This substance reduces the production of thyroid hormones, goiter is formed. Goitrogens are destroyed only by heat treatment.
Interesting Facts
The rumor about white-headed vegetation has been passed on for many centuries. But there are facts that may surprise you:
- Several centuries ago, a vegetable was fermented in tubs the size of a human being. At the same time, the heads of cabbage were thrown to pickle whole or half. Storage in this case was long, the stock was enough until about spring.
- A higher yield is observed if legumes, carrots or turnips were the predecessors of cabbage.
- Phytoncides in the chemical composition destroy the causative agents of staphylococcus and tuberculosis.
- The body spends more calories digesting vegetables than it gets from fiber.
- The stump is the most dangerous part of the plant, as it absorbs everything harmful from the soil. In the villages, this part is given to livestock for feed.
- In the southeastern part of America, it is forbidden to ferment cabbage at home because of the smell that neighbors may not like.
- In Soviet times, there was a spicy carbonated drink “Sour cabbage soup” It was bottled and insisted.
- There is an ornamental type of cabbage that blooms until late autumn. The outer green leaves of the plant are like those of a white cabbage, and inside the flower is in the form of a rose.
- The Guinness Book of Records lists cabbage grown by an American in 2012. Its weight was 62,17kg.
Giant cabbage
Conclusion
The cabbage family is popular in a large number of countries. Growing a vegetable in your garden is easy, but it is important to keep an eye out for insects that can ruin your crops. If the cabbage is properly looked after, then the head of cabbage grows strong and will be stored for a long time. But if there is no opportunity to grow a crop in your own garden, then in the store, give preference to smooth heads of cabbage, without cracks and smell.
Secrets of cabbage
