Today I will reveal that cabbages have the healing properties that you need to know.
I grow up in a village called Sikarosompo, Kavango West, Namibia where cabbages are hard to find, it turns out that cabbage became my favorite vegetable since I moved to Nankudu.
If you love something, you will be always eager to know more information about it. Trying to go through different studies, I found a lot of information about cabbages that is very important to share with you.
One of the ancient Roman healers said that breast cancer could be cured by rubbing on pastes made from cabbage. The majority of modern scientists would have considered this practice as a belief, but now they are not sure if it’s true or just a belief.
Jon Michnovicz, president of the Foundation for Preventive Oncology in New York City try to prove this fact and he said:
“Studies have shown that if you make cabbage into a paste and rub it on the backs of laboratory animals, you can prevent the development of tumors”
But the best way to get more healing properties from cabbage is when you eat it. Cabbage can fight off breast, lung, and prostate cancer. It also contains a wealth of nutrients that can protect you against heart disease, birth defects, and digestive problems, and lowers the risk of eye problems.
One study found that eating four servings of cruciferous vegetables, like cabbage, per week, reduced the risk of dying from any cause by 26 percent. Cabbage, like other cruciferous vegetables, contains several compounds that can help prevent cancers, according to studies. Researchers reviewed almost 100 studies that showed the relationship between brassica vegetables, such as cabbage, and cancer.
They found that in 70 percent of the studies, cabbage consumption was related to a lower risk of cancer. Scientists found that two compounds in cabbage make it a cancer-preventing food.
Two compounds in cabbage make it a cancer-preventing food
1. Indole-3-carbinol or L3C
2. sulforaphane
Indole-3-carbinol, or I3C: Indole-3-carbinol or L3C is especially effective against breast cancer, according to research.
The compound act as an antiestrogen, which means that it removes harmful estrogens that have been linked to breast cancer.
“There was no doubt that if we gave women pure I3C, it would work,” says Dr. Michnovicz.
But for the average person, eating cabbage or another cruciferous vegetable, such as broccoli, would have the same effect.
Sulforaphane: Sulforaphane is proven to protect against breast cancer, by inhibiting carcinogens and aiding in DNA repair.
Compounds in cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables are also protective against lung cancer. A study of Chinese women in Singapore, a city with a high level of air pollution, found that non-smokers who ate cruciferous vegetables reduced their risk of lung cancer by 30 percent.
Cabbage also prevents prostate cancer. A study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle found that men who ate three or more servings of cruciferous vegetables each week lowered their risk of prostate cancer by 44 percent.
Cabbage is a cook’s best friend. It’s versatile, inexpensive, readily available, and easy to prepare.
To preserve the beneficial compounds in cabbage, experts recommend eating cabbage raw. If you must cook your cabbage, steam it lightly, (5 minutes or less), to retain the phytonutrients and maximize their availability. Don’t microwave cabbage, because it decreases the amount of sulforaphane. Don’t boil cabbage either.
In one study, 90 percent of glucosinolates were found in cooked water. (Glucosinolates turn into isothiocyanates -one of which is sulforaphane.)
Don’t buy halved or shredded cabbage, because it loses its vitamin C content quickly when cut.
When you get your cabbage home, place the whole head (in a plastic bag) in the fridge. To promote the production of the most glucosinolates, slice or chop cabbage and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.
Cabbages are also the best sources of vitamin C, which has proved to boost immunity, as well as reduce blood pressure and heart disease. Cabbages are also the best sources of B vitamin folate.
Your body needs folate for normal tissue growth. Studies have proved that folate also may protect against certain forms of cancer, including cervical, colorectal, and lung cancers, heart disease, and birth defects. Research shows that women are at high risk for folate deficiency, especially if they take birth control pills.
Cabbage is available at most places, from now on, you know that when you eat cabbage and feel better after having a bad day please give credit to cabbage.
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