Cabbage of today doesn’t have to be your grandmother’s borscht – not that there’s anything wrong with that. Whether her recipes came from Ireland, Germany, Italy, Russia, China or Africa, it’s a healthy, cheap, resilient (long shelf-life) and versatile vegetable that can be flavored a thousand ways. Raw or cooked, it’s great to have around for a fast, hearty meal that is kind to your waist (10-20 calories per handful) and your self-respect.


photo: by gourmetsleuth.com red and white cabbage

The Facts
Yeah, it has a distinct aroma when cooked and might cause some people to be excessively flatulent, but each of those problems has a remedy (open windows, a nice walk after dinner, Bean-o); the pervasiveness of this vegetable might also be the reason it’s so good for you. Ancient Romans considered it a cure for cancer and current research shows that two or more cabbage meals per week are associated with a 66 percent reduction in risk of colon cancer in men. Additionally, risk reductions in cancers of the lung, stomach and breast were found in 65 separate studies to be associated with consumption of cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli, spinach, bok choy, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower). If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you almost always can benefit from an increase in vegetable consumption.

Given the stresses of modern life – physical and psychological – and the damage they do to your body, it’s a food for today.

Five-Minute Cabbage Dinner: Here’s a fast salad that can be made in less than five minutes from long shelf-life ingredients. In addition to the health benefits of cabbage, it has enough protein (53 grams) and complex carbohydrates to fit the needs of a guy engaged in strength training exercises. A little chopping and mixing is all it takes to make this cool meal.