We understand how everybody tells us how pregnancy is the most special time for a woman. But, as wonderful as that feeling is, pregnancy is a rather susceptible time. Any negligence regarding your diet or lifestyle can take a toll on not just you, but your unborn baby too.
So, it becomes required to eat healthy while you are anticipating. And, when we say healthy food, we normally consider leafy veggies. So, let’s take a look at the safety of eating one particular leafy vegetable i.e cabbage during pregnancy.
It is a green leafy veggie with lots of versions. It is carefully related to Cole Crops viz. broccoli, Brussels, Cauliflower, etc. It is a multilayered vegetable i.e. it has a lot of layers.
Eating Cabbage During Pregnancy
Is it safe to eat cabbage during pregnancy? Yes! As long as you prepare it appropriately you can securely eat cabbage during pregnancy. Raw cabbage, like other raw veggies, is home to bacteria that can result in a myriad of diseases while you are expecting.
The continuous use of pesticides and fungicides likewise makes cabbage more prone to fungal and bacterial infections. So, attempt to use organic cabbage that hasn’t been pesticide-treated to guarantee healthy pregnancy.
You must consider eating cabbage during pregnancy as it has many health advantages for the body. It is a genuine storage facility of lots of vital nutrients. And here, we take a look at a few of the primary nutrients present in cabbage:
Health Benefits of Cabbage During Pregnancy
Cabbage not just helps enhance digestion but also promotes eye health. Here, we note some other health benefits of eating cabbage during pregnancy.
While cardiovascular defense and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes have been areas of increased research interest with regard to cabbage intake, it is the area of cancer avoidance that still uses the biggest number of health-related research studies for this cruciferous veggie.
To this day, more than 475 studies have taken a look at the function of this cruciferous veggie in cancer avoidance (and in some cases, cancer treatment).
The uniqueness of cabbage in cancer prevention is because of the three various types of nutrient richness found in this commonly taken pleasure in food. The three types are antioxidant richness, anti-inflammatory richness, and richness in glucosinolates.
Antioxidant-Related Health Benefits of Cabbage
Cabbage ranked in our WHFoods score system as an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of manganese. However in terms of anti-oxidants in the more recent, phytonutrient category, cabbage is outstanding, even amongst cruciferous vegetables.
Polyphenols rank at the top of the list for phytonutrient antioxidants in cabbage. In reality, one group of scientists has explained polyphenols as the main consider cabbage’s general antioxidant capacity.
Even white cabbage (a really lightly-colored kind of green cabbage and the most typically consumed range of cabbage in the United States) supplies about 50 milligrams of polyphenols in a half-cup serving.
Red cabbage makes its own special contribution in this area by offering about 30 milligrams of the red pigment polyphenols called anthocyanins in each half cup.
The antioxidant richness of cabbage is partly responsible for its cancer avoidance benefits. Without adequate intake of antioxidants, our oxygen metabolic process can become compromised, and we can experience a metabolic problem called oxidative stress. Chronic oxidative stress can be a risk aspect for development of cancer.
More than a dozen cabbage phenols have been shown to contribute to its antioxidant capability. These phenols are now known to include: benzoic acid, caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, dimethylbenzoic acid, gallic acid, hydroxybenzoic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, phenylacetic acid, rosmarinic acid, syringic acid, trimethylbenzoic acid, and vanillic acid.
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Cabbage
Without enough intake of anti-inflammatory nutrients, guideline of our inflammatory system can end up being jeopardized, and we can experience the issue of chronic inflammation. Especially when combined together with oxidative stress, chronic inflammation is a risk element for development of cancer.
The anthocyanins discovered in red cabbage are well-documented anti-inflammatory compounds and make red cabbage a standout anti-inflammatory food for this reason.
However, all types of cabbage contain substantial amounts of polyphenols that supply anti-inflammatory advantages. Anthocyanins are also compounds that fall under the basic category of polyphenols known as flavonoids, and they are absolutely not the only important flavonoids supplied by cabbage.
Included in the list of cabbage flavonoids are the following anti-inflammatory compounds: artemetin, betanidin, butein, equol, hydroxyflavone, kaempferol, luteolin, malvidin, naringenin, pelargonodin, purpurogalin, quercitol, and tetrahydrochalcone.
Anti-Cancer Property
Intense purple colored cabbage includes Anthocyanins. Research studies showed that it has the property to combat versus cancer.
Offered the functions of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation as risk factors for cancer, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory richness of cabbage would offer anti-cancer health advantages without the addition of cabbage’s glucosinolates. But glucosinolates are cabbage’s trump card with regard to “anti-cancer” benefits.
The glucosinolates discovered in cabbage can be converted into isothiocyanate compounds that are cancer preventive for a variety of various cancers, including bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
Digestive Tract Support of Cabbage
Cabbage enhances your digestive system health. It promotes food digestion and helps get rid of problems like constipation and irregular defecation.
As constipation is among the common symptoms of pregnancy, a routine diet of cabbage can help control it. Cabbage consists of a high amount of dietary fiber, which helps control bowel movement and digestion.
Long-established in health research is the role of cabbage juice in assisting heal stomach ulcers (called peptic ulcers), however more current research studies on cabbage have taken a look at the general health advantages of this food for the stomach and digestive tract as a whole. Contemporary studies make it clear that cabbage consists of a range of nutrients of potential benefit to our stomach and digestive tract linings.
These nutrients include glucosinolates (and the anti-inflammatory isothiocyanates or ITCs made from them), antioxidant polyphenols, and the amino acid-like substance called glutamine. When it comes to ITCs, digestive tract advantages include correct regulation of bacterial populations of Helicobacter pylori inside the stomach.
These bacteria are regular stomach residents, however their populations can become too big and they can acquire the stomach lining in an unwanted method. The ITCs made from cabbage’s glucosinolates can decrease the risk of these unwanted stomach occasions.
It would also be incorrect to proceed from this issue of digestive support without discussing the very good fiber support offered by cabbage. At nearly 4 grams per cup and just 44 calories, cabbage supplies almost 1 gram of fiber for every single 10 calories! This “fiber density” of cabbage actually ranks it above some our WHFoods legumes, including our beans, lentils, and dried peas.
This really low “calorie cost” of cabbage fiber makes it easy to include fiber to your diet without including calories. And this included fiber can be very valuable in improving food digestion of food.
Cardiovascular Support from Cabbage
Current research studies on cabbage intake– particularly research studies on intake of red cabbage– have looked carefully at the capacity for cardiovascular support from this veggie.
The results have been motivating. Blood levels of beta-carotene, lutein, and total blood antioxidant capability have been discovered to increase along with increasing intake of red cabbage consumption.
At the same time, total cholesterol, total LDL cholesterol, and overall oxidized LDL have been discovered to reduce. Decreases in oxidized LDL are an especially notable finding since oxidized LDL is a recognized risk element for development of atherosclerosis.
Among the ways in which cabbage intake can lower your overall and LDL cholesterol is through the procedure of binding with bile acids.
Your liver uses cholesterol as a basic building block to produce bile acids. Bile acids are specialized molecules that help in the digestion and absorption of fat, and when they are present in your digestive tract, fiber-related nutrients in cabbage can bind together with them for ultimate excretion.
Whenever this process occurs, your liver has to change the excreted bile acids by bring into play your existing supply of cholesterol, and as a result, your cholesterol level falls.
Avoid Gestational Diabetes
Gestational Diabetes is typical during pregnancy. However, the high fiber content of cabbage helps keep blood pressure and blood sugar level in check and reduces the risk of gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
DNA Health
Cabbage is a rich source of folate or folic acid, which is essential to the DNA health of your fetus.
Low Calories
Cabbage is low in calorie count and therefore helps women maintain weight during pregnancy. So, all the mommies-to-be, if you wish to gain minimum weight during pregnancy and ensure that you still eat healthily, include cabbage in your diet. You can also include cabbage juice during pregnancy.
Avoids Swelling
Cabbage leaves during pregnancy play a crucial role for swollen legs which is quite common during the stage. Wrapping cabbage leaves around the legs relieves swelling condition.
Women’s Health
If you dislike cabbage, broccoli, and other such vegetables, then you need to consider speaking with your doctor before having cabbage during pregnancy. Do not experiment with your diet during these pivotal months.
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Good luck! Have a nice weekend.
