Boiling makes perfectly tender cabbage, and a little salt and butter makes this cruciferous vegetable taste surprisingly irresistible. Here's how to boil cabbage so it tastes delightful.
Steaming is an indirect cooking process which means delicate ingredients can be gently cooked to retain their flavour and nutrients. The benefit of steaming cabbage is that it doesn't produce the unpleasant smell associated with boiled cabbage.
If you want to preserve these nutritional benefits, it's best to steam your cabbage. First, because steaming improves its cholesterol-lowering properties. Steaming also preserves more glucosinolates than microwaving, despite longer cooking time. Purple or red cabbage is a special nutritional powerhouse.
The bacteria that live in your intestinal tract break down the indigestible carbohydrates in cabbage, which can then produce gas, according to the University of Illinois. Cooking methods like boiling and grilling can make vegetables easier to digest and, as a result, cause less flatulence.
It should be cooked until just tender. Overcooking will result in limp, pasty cabbage and produce a very unpleasant smell. The unpleasant smell is caused by the sulfur compounds that are released when the cabbage is cooked too long.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Vegetables that belong to the cabbage family such as cauliflower, Brussels, broccoli, and sprouts should never be consumed raw. These vegetables contain sugar that is difficult to digest. Eating these vegetables raw may lead to a number of gastronomical problems.
A: Cabbage contains sulphorous compounds, as well as a sugar called raffinose that when digested can cause gas and bloating. To minimize gas and bloating, eat smaller amounts at one time and drink water throughout the day to aid in digestion.
Improves digestion
Packed with phytosterols (plant sterols) and insoluble fiber, cabbage can help keep your digestive system healthy and bowel movements regular. It fuels the good bacteria in your gut that protects your immune system and produces essential nutrients.
Because they're water-soluble, they leach out of vegetables into the cooking water. If you boil your vegetables or microwave using too much water, you'll end up with less thiamine, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and a lot less vitamin C.
Eating more cabbage is an excellent way to keep your digestive system healthy and happy. Cabbage contains insoluble fiber, which keeps the digestive system healthy by providing fuel for friendly bacteria and promoting regular bowel movements.
Cabbage is even great for weight loss and beautiful skin!
There are only 33 calories in a cup of cooked cabbage, and it is low in fat and high in fiber. Cabbage also helps keep skin looking healthy, toned, blemish-free and glowing; it's rich in antioxidants (including vitamin C and beta-carotene).
The best liver support comes from the sulphoraphane found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Sulphoraphane triggers the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes that block free-radical attack on DNA.
Improves Brain Health: Cabbage, particularly the purple variety, is powerful brain food. It contains vitamin K, and the antioxidant anthocyanin, which boosts mental function and concentration. Vitamin K, an often forgotten vitamin, can also improve your defense against conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.
You'll want to make sure you don't overcook cabbage: it becomes limp and makes an unpleasant aroma. Shredded cabbage takes 12 to 15 minutes to boil, when dropped into a large pot of salted boiling water.
Researchers found steaming kept the highest level of nutrients. “Boiling vegetables causes water soluble vitamins like vitamin C, B1 and folate to leach into the water,” Magee said.
Vitamin C was the most affected nutrient when boiled. Vitamin C levels were reduced by more than half in broccoli, cabbage and spinach.
It is important to mention that cabbage is a great prebiotic food - meaning that the fiber in it provides fuel for the good bacteria in our large intestines. So if you are making a point to feed your gut with foods containing good bacteria, like yogurt and kefir, be sure to feed the bacteria some good cabbage.
Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are a family of vegetables that include broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and more. Similarly to beans and legumes, these vegetables contain FODMAP's and can cause bloating.
Like most cruciferous vegetables (including broccoli and sprouts), cabbage contains a chemical called sulforaphane, which helps the body fight against toxins. Cabbage also supplies the body with glutathione; an antioxidant that helps improve the detoxifying function of the liver.
Cabbage and Its Cousins
Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cabbage, have the same sugars that make beans gassy. Their high fiber can also make them hard to digest. It will be easier on your stomach if you cook them instead of eating raw.
Kale, broccoli, and cabbage are cruciferous vegetables, which contain raffinose — a sugar that remains undigested until bacteria in your gut ferment it, which produces gas and, in turn, makes you bloat.
You can help along digestion by eating steamed foods, as these are easier for your body to break down. Try steamed spinach with your dinner or steamed rice with your lunch.
Consuming high quantities of cabbage might cause hypothyroidism, according to Linus Pauling Institute. Iodine deficiency coupled with high consumption of cabbage, such as 1,000 to 1,500 grams per day, can result in a lack of thyroid hormone.