A nutritious guide to choosing and cooking with cabbage

Cabbage is a nutritious vegetable, ideal for any diet. Here's a quick guide to help you understand the health benefits of cabbage and some easy ways to cook and serve it.

Although cabbage is not quite as nutritious as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cauliflower, it does outrank these plant relatives in consumption. In fact, in some parts of the world, cabbage ­consumption is on a par with that of potatoes.

• Very high in fibre and very low in calories (250 grams or one cup of chopped, raw green cabbage contains a meagre 20 calories), the lowly cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C (with 33 milligrams per 250 grams or one cup).
• Red cabbage contains almost twice as much vitamin C as the green cabbage, while the green variety contains twice as much folate as the red; both red and green cabbages contribute potassium and fibre.
• Savoy cabbage is a good source of beta carotene.

• Prevailing folk wisdom states that cabbage juice is a miracle cure for ulcers. However, anecdotal evidence abounds, but medical science holds that although there may be no harm in drinking small amounts of cabbage juice, there is no proof that it is an effective treatment for ulcers.
• Cabbages are members of the cruciferous family of vegetables, a family associated with numerous health benefits. It has long been known that people who eat large amounts of cabbage enjoy a low rate of colon cancer.
• This protective effect is assumed to come from bio­fla­vo­noids, indoles, monoterpenes and other plant chemicals that inhibit tumour growth and protect cells against damage from free radicals, those unstable molecules released when the body uses oxygen.
• Some of these chemicals also speed up the body's metabolism of estrogen, which may explain why women whose diets provide ample amounts of cabbage and related vegetables have a reduced incidence of breast cancer. This chemical action may also protect against cancers of the uterus and ovaries.
• Of particular interest is indole-3-carbinol, a cabbage component that in animal studies had reduced the risk of cancer. Still, advice to take this compound in pill form, as advocated by some supplement manufacturers, would appear to be premature.

• Cabbage can be served raw — as coleslaw, cooked, or pickled into sauerkraut. Commercial coleslaw is high in calories (about 200 per 250 grams or one cup) because it has large amounts of mayonnaise. You can reduce calories by using low-fat yogurt, vinegar and oil.
• Sauerkraut is soaked in salt brine and then fermented; to lower the ­sodium content, rinse it before heating.
• Sulfites are often used to preserve cabbage colour; asthma ­sufferers or anyone allergic to sulfites should check pack­age labels.
• Steaming and stir-frying preserves most nutrients. Don't use aluminum cookware, which causes a chemical reaction that discolours the vegetable and alters its flavour.

There are hundreds of different kinds of cabbage; the following are the most popular varieties in Canada and the United States:

• Green, the most common cabbage, has a mild flavour that can be enjoyed raw or cooked.
• Red cabbage is similar to the green varieties, but it is much higher in vitamin C than other types.
• Savoy cabbage has ruffled yellow-green outer leaves and is higher in beta carotene than other varieties.
• Bok choy, or Chinese cabbage, forms a celery-like stalk of white leaves; it is higher in calcium.

Cabbage is an important part of any diet. Keep these tips in mind and you can prepare some tasty and nutritious cabbage in no time!