Introduction: Chinese cabbage is rich in nutrients, containing a variety of vitamins, inorganic salts, cellulose, and a certain amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and other nutritional components. As the saying goes: "Fish causes internal heat, meat causes phlegm, but cabbage and tofu ensure peace." When rationally paired with other foods, Chinese cabbage has unique therapeutic effects.
Chinese cabbage is highly nutritious, earning it the saying, "A hundred vegetables are not as good as cabbage." It is rich in carotene, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin C, crude fiber, protein, fat, and various minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, iron. It also contains an enzyme that decomposes carcinogenic nitrosamines. Modern pharmacological experiments have shown that the crude fiber in cabbage can promote intestinal peristalsis, enhance bowel function, thus preventing constipation and facilitating the excretion of intestinal toxins. Due to its rich vitamin C content, regular consumption is highly beneficial for preventing arteriosclerosis or certain cardiovascular diseases. Cabbage also contains an active substance called indole-3-carbinol, which helps the body break down estrogen associated with breast cancer. If women consume about 500 grams of cabbage daily, the incidence of breast cancer can be reduced. Furthermore, the trace element "molybdenum" it contains can inhibit the absorption, synthesis, and accumulation of nitrosamines in the body, giving it certain anti-cancer properties. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese cabbage is believed to nourish the stomach, promote fluid production, relieve vexation and thirst, promote urination and bowel movements, resolve phlegm and stop coughing, and clear heat and toxins. For those prone to "internal heat" (a concept in TCM), eating more Chinese cabbage can have a "heat-clearing" effect. Therefore, Chinese cabbage should be a staple on people's dining tables in winter.
Black Bean Sauce Lotus Cabbage
1. When selecting cabbage, note that good quality cabbage should be fresh, tender green, relatively firm, and crisp. Cabbage with pests, loose structure, coarse stems, withered and yellow leaves, excessive soil, or poor development is of lower quality.
2. Fresh cabbage should not be stored for long. When washing, do not soak it in water for too long or expose it to excessive wind. It should be washed before cutting and cooked as soon as possible. When cooking Chinese cabbage, cut it into shreds, strips, or slices along its grain. This allows the cabbage to cook more easily, reduces the loss of vitamins, and results in better flavor. When stir-frying, do not add too much water and do not cook for too long; keep the lid on the pot tightly. According to research, after 5-10 minutes of proper cooking, the retention rate of vitamin C in cabbage is about 64%, vitamin B is 80%, and carotene is 88%. If the cabbage is chopped, blanched in boiling water, and then the juice is squeezed out, the vitamin C loss rate can be as high as 90%-100%. Therefore, cooking methods like blanching or scalding followed by squeezing juice should be avoided. Stir-frying Chinese cabbage with a little vermicelli can absorb the vegetable juices, preventing nutrient loss. When preparing cabbage, attention should be paid to minimizing the loss of vitamins.
Korean Spicy Cabbage Kimchi
3. Cabbage that is rotten, has brown leaves, or has brown spots on the stalks should not be eaten. During the rotting process, cabbage produces toxins, and the resulting nitrites can deprive hemoglobin in the blood of its ability to carry oxygen, causing severe hypoxia in the body, which can even be life-threatening.
4. Cabbage should be stir-fried and eaten immediately; leftover cabbage soup should not be consumed. This is because cabbage is rich in nitrates. If cooked and left for too long, nitrates can undergo a chemical reaction under the action of certain bacteria, reducing them into harmful nitrites. Nitrites are highly soluble in vegetable soup. After drinking it, the nitrites enter the gastrointestinal tract and blood with the soup, oxidizing the hemoglobin in normal red blood cells into methemoglobin. This causes the hemoglobin to lose its ability to carry oxygen, leading to poisoning and hypoxia. In mild cases, this can cause cyanosis and a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes. In severe cases, it can lead to death.
5. Pickled vegetables (sauerkraut) also contain relatively high levels of nitrates and nitrites. For people with poor gastrointestinal function, or when consuming a large amount of undercooked pickled vegetables, bacteria in the intestines can convert nitrates into nitrites. Nitrites oxidize the normal hemoglobin in the blood into methemoglobin, causing it to lose its oxygen-carrying ability, and the body shows symptoms of hypoxia. Therefore, when eating pickled vegetables, choose good quality ones, cook them thoroughly, do not eat too much, and do not leave cooked pickled vegetables out for too long.
Steamed Cabbage Dumplings with Noodle Soup
6. When cooking cabbage, adding a little vinegar can destroy the formation of nitrites and prevent nitrite poisoning.
7. According to modern research reports, cabbage contains small amounts of substances that can cause goiter. These substances interfere with the thyroid's utilization of the essential mineral iodine. Therefore, consuming a certain amount of iodized salt, sea fish, seafood, and edible seaweed can supplement iodine consumption.
8. Chinese cabbage should not be eaten cold to prevent loose stools. Chinese cabbage has a "cold" nature in Traditional Chinese Medicine. If consumed as a soup, its nature becomes "very cold." Although it can clear lung heat, stop coughs, and promote urination, it can also trigger various wind-cold conditions. Therefore, it is not recommended or should be consumed with caution by those with deficiency-cold in the intestines, stomach, heart, or lungs. If the cabbage is blanched in water and then sun-dried, its "cold" nature is significantly reduced. It is not suitable for those with coughs with excessive white, phlegm due to lung qi deficiency-cold, or those with diarrhea and abdominal pain due to spleen qi deficiency-cold.
Braised Cabbage Rolls