Cabbage Soup Recipe and Health Benefits of Cabbage
Recipes for Cabbage Soup
There’s a reason that so many people are turning to cabbage soup recipes for weight loss – most recipes for cabbage soup are simple to make, filling, and remarkably low in calories. With just a few ingredients and only one pot needed, our recipe for cabbage soup will definitely become one of your go-to cabbage recipes.
Recipe – Creamy Cabbage Soup with Potato
Ingredients
1/2 head of green cabbage, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
1 potato, peeled and diced (optional)
1 tsp cumin powder
salt and black pepper
3-4 cups water
Directions
In a medium pot, bring to boil 3-4 cups of water. Add diced potato and continue to boil until potato is about 90% tender. Add bell pepper, celery and cabbage and continue to boil until all vegetables are tender. Season with cumin, and salt and black pepper to taste. Puree the soup in blender or using immersion blender.
Recipe – Light Vegan Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon thyme or Zaatar seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and black pepper, to taste
3-4 cups water
fresh parsley, optional for garnish
Instructions
In a medium pot, bring water to boil. Add celery, red bell pepper, cabbage and tomatoes and continue to boil until vegetables are tender. Season with thyme or zaatar, bay leaf, and salt and black pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Health Benefits of Cabbage
When you think of nutritious vegetables, what comes to mind? Sprouts or spinach, perhaps crunchy carrots, or colorful bell peppers? While certain foods fall in and out of fashion, some of the healthiest options often get overlooked.
Cabbage, a member of the Brassica family of cruciferous vegetable, while used widely in cuisines throughout the world, doesn’t always receive the credit it deserves. Inexpensive, readily available, and packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals and compounds, cabbage is one of the unsung heroes of the produce aisle.
Read more about just a few of cabbage’s beneficial attributes below:
1. Promotes Healthy Weight Loss
Cabbage is a common suggestion for people looking for a healthy way to reduce their weight. In addition to being nutrient-rich, cabbage is extremely low in calories, with only 33 calories per cup of cooked cabbage. It is also quite filling and full of fiber, so those on a diet can enjoy as much cabbage as they like and feel satisfied afterward.
If you’re looking for a simple recipe to help promote weight loss, check out our cabbage soup recipe at the end of this post.
2. Cancer-Fighter
Cabbage, as well as the other members of the Brassica family, has a powerful antioxidant quality. This means that harmful free radicals are removed from the body. These free radicals are known to contribute to cancer as well as heart disease, and are detrimental to one’s overall health.
Cabbage also contains many anti-cancer compounds, including lupeol, sinigrin, and sulforaphane, which are known to stimulate enzyme activity and inhibit the growth of tumors, which can lead to cancer. One study, performed primarily on Chinese women, showed a significant reduction in breast cancer when cruciferous vegetables like cabbage were regularly added to their diet.
3. Healthy Bones, Brains, and Eyes
Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables contain essential minerals calcium, magnesium and potassium that protect bones from degrading, as well as preventing osteoporosis and general bone weakening.
For a powerful brain boost, cabbage’s Vitamin K and anthocyanins promote improved mental function and concentration. Found primarily in red cabbage, Vitamin K is essential in the production of sphingolipids, the myelin sheath around around nerves. This myelin wrapping is what protects nerves from damage and decay. Therefore, consuming vitamin K can improve your defense against neural degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. The anthocyanins are a current area of research, but early indications point to them providing a more powerful source of antioxidants than vitamin-C. Again, red cabbage has even more types of anthocyanins than normal cabbage.
For eye health, cabbage provides a rich source of beta-carotene, which prevents macular degeneration and the delay of cataract formation. Beta-carotene has also been positively linked to reduced chances of prostate cancer.
4. Detoxifier
Due to it’s high content of vitamin C and sulphur, cabbage is an effective detoxifier, purifying the blood and removing toxins including free radicals and uric acid. Buildup of these toxins are primary causes of rheumatism, gout, arthritis, skin diseases and eczema.
