What’s So Great About Cabbage?

According to Parenting magazine, cabbage is one of the “top 15 kid and toddler super foods”. You know how they say you should learn something new every day? Put me down for “done.” You?

Being part of the cruciferous family of vegetables (along with kale and broccoli), you knew cabbage had to be good for you.  Like that whole class of veggies, cabbage is high in antioxidants and “phytonutrients known to lower the risk for many types of cancer, as well as improve digestion.” According to Parenting.com, cabbage also “helps clear harmful toxins from the body by triggering the release of enzymes whose job it is to whisk them out.”  Whfoods.com cites new research that shows “cabbage in general—but also Savoy cabbage in particular—turns out to be an especially good source of sinigrin.

Sinigrin is one of the cabbage glucosinolates that has received special attention in cancer prevention research.” But, like many veggies, a little cooking goes a long way. “In one recent study, short-cooked and raw cabbage were the only types of cabbage to show cancer-preventive benefits—long-cooked cabbage failed to demonstrate measurable benefits.” And that’s part of the reason cabbage made it on to Parenting’s kid-approved list. They say, “it has a mild flavor and crunch that kids tend to like better than the usual salad greens,” and it can be served up as a raw, crunch-tastic treat with a little dip or their beloved ranch dressing (what is it with kids and ranch dressing??)