Napa Cabbage

Napa cabbage, along with bok choy, is one of the popular leafy-cabbage vegetables of mainland china. Napaas sweet, crunchy, and celery-flavored leaves are one of the most sought-after ingredients in the oriental cuisine. Undoubtedly, chinese cabbages are increasingly being used in the western, mediterranean as well as in american cuisines for thier incredible nutrition profile.

Half a package of ramen noodles without the seasoning contains 178 calories and about 7 grams of fat, of which about 3.3 grams are saturated. Too much saturated fat can cause your cholesterol level to increase, which can raise your risk of heart disease. Sodium is another ingredient that can raise your risk of heart disease, and half a package of the noodles contains 752 milligrams of sodium. That's half of the 1,500 milligrams you should limit yourself to each day, as recommended by the american heart association. The redeeming qualities of ramen noodles are the high amounts of iron, niacin and vitamin e they contain.

Napa cabbage is incredibly low in calories. 100 g fresh leaves contain only 16 calories. Along with celery, bok-choy,..etc, it easily fits into the neo-class of zero calorie or negative calorie group of vegetables as often advocated by some dieticians.

Napa is packed with many antioxidant plant compounds such as carotenes, thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zea-xanthin, sulforaphane and isothiocyanates. In addition, it is an abundant source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Scientific studies suggest these compounds are known to offer protection against breast, colon and prostate cancers and help reduce ldl or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood.

Fresh napa is an excellent source of folates. 100 g provides 79 ag or 20% of daily required levels of this b-complex vitamin. Folic acid is one of the essential components of dna. Sufficient amounts of folates in the diet of anticipant mothers help prevent neurological diseases in the newborn babies.

Further, napa cabbage has very good levels of vitamin-c. 100 g of fresh vegetable provides about 45% of daily requirements of this vitamin. Regular consumption of foods rich in vitamin c helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

Likewise in other cabbages, napa has adequate levels of vitamin k, provides about 38% of rda levels. Vitamin-k has a potential role in the bone metabolism by promoting osteotrophic activity in bone cells. Therefore, enough vitamin k in the diet makes your bone stronger, healthier and delay osteoporosis. Further, vitamin-k also has established role in curing alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.

Napa cabbage has small levels of vitamin-a. However, it also contains flavonoid poly phenolic compounds such as carotenes, lutein and xanthins which convert to vitamin a in the body.

As in other green vegetables, it is a good source of many essential vitamins such as riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine (185 of rda) and thiamin. These vitamins are essential in the sense that our body requires them from external sources to replenish.

In addition, it is very natural source of electrolytes and minerals like calcium, potassium, phosporous, manganese, iron and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is required for the red blood cell formation.

Cancer prevention: cabbage is a member of the brassica family, also known as cruciferous vegetables. One of their most important celebrated benefits to health is their powerful antioxidant quality. This means that cabbage and other similar vegetables scavenge free radicals from around the body, which can be very detrimental to overall health and are major contributors to things like cancer and heart disease.

Cabbage also has a number of anti-cancer compounds, like lupeol, sinigrin, and sulforaphane, which are known to stimulate enzyme activity and inhibit the growth of tumors, which can lead to cancer. One study, performed primarily on chinese women, showed a significant reduction in breast cancer when cruciferous vegetables like cabbage were regularly added to their diet.

Anti-inflammatory properties: cabbage is known to accumulate a build-up of cadmium-binding complexes in its leaves, and one of the main components of that is glutamine. Glutamine is a strong anti-inflammatory agent, so consuming cabbage can reduce the effects of many type of inflammation, irritation, allergies, joint pain, fever, and various skin disorders.

Eye health: cabbage is a rich source of beta-carotene, so many people, particularly as they get older, turn to cabbage for its ability to prevent macular degeneration and generally promote good eye health and the delay of cataract formation. Beta-carotene has also been positively linked to reduced chances of prostate cancer, which is an extra bonus on top of the other anti-carcinogenic effects of cabbage!.

Cabbage is frequently recommended for people who want to lose weight in a healthy way. Since cabbage is packed with so many beneficial vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, it is a healthy dietary option for people to eat a lot of, and it is quite filling, since it has high levels of fiber, which add bulk to the bowels. However, cabbage is extremely low in calories, only 33 calories in a cup of cooked cabbage.

It has only 33 calories in a cup of cooked cabbage, is low in fat and high in fiber. It is definitely a smart carb.

Therefore, people can go on the popular acabbage soupa diet, and eat plenty of food to stay healthy, without gaining excess weight!

It is full of vitamin k and anthocyanins that help with mental function and concentration. These nutrients also prevent nerve damage, improving your defense against alzheimeras disease, and dementia. Red cabbage has the highest amount of these power nutrients.

The high content of vitamin c and sulphur in cabbage removes toxins (free radicals and uric acid). These are the main causes of arthritis, skin diseases, rheumatism and gout.

Napa cabbage is also well-known cancer preventative compounds lupeol, sinigrin and sulforaphane. They stimulate enzyme activity and inhibit the growth of cancer tumors. A study on women showed a reduction in breast cancer when cruciferous vegetables like cabbage were added to their diet.

The high potassium content helps by opening up blood vessels, easing the flow of blood.

A warm compress made with cabbage leaves can help relieve the pain of a headache. Crush cabbage leaves, place in a cloth, and apply on the forehead. Also, drink raw cabbage juice 1-2 oz. (25-50ml) daily for chronic headaches.

The natural red pigments of red cabbage (betalains) is said to lower blood sugar levels and boost insulin production. Of course it has no white sugars and very few simple sugars. Betalains have powerful anti-inflammatory properties just like beets.