Napa cabbage is a green vegetable originated from China. It becomes famous all over the world because of its powerful account in protecting our health. It is similar to lettuce with its green and white stem. Napa cabbage is a kind of a strong antioxidant vegetable. It also contains fitonutrients, such as lutein, isothiocyanates, and sulforaphane, which promote enzymes during detoxification process in our heart. Moreover, it also help us in protecting our body from dangerous illness.
16 Health Benefits of Napa Cabbage:
1. Anti-inflammation Source.
Napa cabbage is rich of nutrient that works efficiently as a anti-inflammation substance that can protect us from inflammation in our body. This will automatically prevent us from several illness because of inflammation, such as arthritis.
2. Preventing the Health of Our Bones.Â
In 100 gr of napa cabbage contains 38% of vitamin K out of our total need in a day. Vitamin K is important for our bones metabolism and blood coagulation. Moreover, vitamin K is beneficial for preventing Alzheimer disease and lessening the damage of neurons cell in our brain.
3. Calcium Source.
Besides containing vitamin K, napa cabbage is the source of calcium that excellent for our bones growth. In 100 gr of napa cabbage, there is 105 mg of calcium. It is the same as 10.5% of our total calcium need in a day. It is more than the calcium contains in milk product.
4. Vitamin B Source.
Napa cabbage is the source of vitamin B complex such as folic, vitamin B6, B1, and B5. Vitamin B prevents us from brain shrinking and important for promoting our energy.
5. Increasing Our Immune System.
The health of our body depends on the health of our immunity system. Therefore, our body needs a strong immunity system. In order to increasing our immunity system, consuming napa cabbage regularly becomes one of the option. Napa cabbage contains anti-oxidant substance and anti-inflammation that protect us from free radical. Moreover, it can prevent us from the impact of carcinogen which eventually bring us to suffer from cancer.
6. Keeping Our Heart Healthy.
Napa cabbage is effective in keeping our blood normal. Moreover, it helps our kidney to perform at its best. The scientists believe that napa cabbage contains sulforaphane which protects the function of our normal cells in inner layer of our artery. Therefore, our blood flows normally and our heart stays healthy.
7. Preventing Cancer.
Napa cabbage contains anti-cancer cells. based on the several studies, people who eat napa cabbage have low risk of suffering from lungs cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. Glucosinolates in napa cabbage is transformed into isothiocyanates in our body. That substance helps our body in attacking cancer. Napa cabbage contains folic that plays an important role in synthesizing and DNA improvement so that the development of cancer cells formation from DNA mutation can be prevented.
8. Lowering Blood Pressure.Â
Potasium, calcium and magnesium in napa cabbage are known effective in lowering blood pressure naturally.
9. Promoting Our Skin Health.
Colagen is a skin supporting system. It depends on the vitamin V as the most important nutrient. Vitamin C in our body plays its important role as anti-oxidant that beneficial in preventing the damage of our skin because of the sun rays, pollution, and cigarette smoke. Moreover, it promotes the colagen ability to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture.
10. Facilitating the Calorie Burning in Our Body.Â
For people who are on diet, consuming napa cabbage regularly is a good choice. In every 100 gr of napa cabbage contains 12 calorie. This means napa cabbage is proven contains low calorie. However, low calorie in napa cabbage contributes healthy calorie for our body. Besides, consuming napa cabbage is helpful in reducing our weight because of its light calorie that supports the calorie burning in our body. Thus, napa cabbage is important for people who are on diet.
11. Preventing Free Radicals.Â
Free radical is potential as a dangerous illness source. There are several free radicals that trigger the growing of cancer cells because of either abnormal cells growth or broken cells. Napa cabbage offers high level of vitamin C. It is 44 mg of vitamin C in every 100 gr. Consuming napa cabbage regularly brings us to have a good immunity system so that we are not prone to infection and other chronical diseases because of free radicals.
12. Lowering High Cholesterol.Â
There are several dangerous diseases because of cholesterol, such as heart attack, high blood pressure, stroke and diabetes. Those diseases have a strong connection with cholesterol. However, we can prevent high cholesterol by consuming napa cabbage. The more we eat napa cabbage, arugula, and artichoke the lower our cholesterol will be. We will get faster result if we apply low fat diet.
13. Vitamin AÂ Source.
Vitamin A is beneficial for protecting our health, cornea and our eyes problems, such as macula degeneration. Napa cabbage contains 4465IU of vitamin A per 100 gram. Vitamin A and several substances like polifenol and flavonoid are beneficial for keeping our eyes healthy. Therefore, if we want to keep our eyes healthy, eating napa cabbage is strongly suggested.
14. High Source of Mineral.Â
Another benefit of napa cabbage is it contains high mineral. Without natural high mineral from vegetable, we will easily get sick. Napa cabbage contributes several kinds of mangan, potasium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and iron.
15. Vitamin K Source.
Napa cabbage is rich of vitamin K. Vitamin K is important not only for keeping our bones strong but also preventing female from suffering osteoporosis. If we can meet the need of vitamin K, we will be prevented from senile and nerves or brain problems.
16. Maintaining Energy in Our Body.Â
Energy is one of the reasons that our body needs to perform activities. Our body will gain energy source from nutritious food. Napa cabbage helps us in gaining sufficient energy because it contains complete vitamin B complex. To maintain the contain of vitamin B, we should not cook vitamin B within a short time.
4 Functions of Important Substances in Napa Cabbage:
- Iron : facilitates our body in producing red blood cells which will deliver oxygen to every part of our body by blood vessels.
- Manganese : facilitates our body in earning co-factor that supports the enzyme performance.
- Potassium : facilitates our body to have a normal and healthy heart beat and prevents us from high blood pressure.
- Magnesium and phosphorus : facilitate our body in keeping our nerves and brain system.
Tips to Choose and to Keep Napa Cabbage:
- Choose fresh napa cabbage with its strong and fresh stems.
- Avoid to choose napa cabbage with its withered leaves and stems.
- Organic napa cabbages is more suggested to consume because they do not contain chemical from the fertilizer.
- Keep napa cabbage in the refrigerator or cold temperature more than two days. Before cooking, it is better to check the condition. If it is still fresh, it still can be consumed.
How to Cook Napa Cabbage:
- Clean napa cabbage before slicing. Clean every leave under running water.
- Dry napa cabbage before cooking. We can strain it in vegetable small container that has holes so that the water keeps running out.
- Separate the stems and the leaves before cooking.
- We can cook all parts of the leaves but we cannot cook every part of the stems.
- We can mix it with another green vegetable, such as aragula.
- We should not cook napa cabbage for along time in order to gain the benefits of its nutrition.
Napa cabbage has light flavor, tasty and fresh. It will be hard not to eat it once you eat it. Napa cabbage is a kind of green vegetable that is cheap, easy to cook and has various powerful benefits for our health.