Benefits of Savoy Cabbage

Savoy cabbage is not as common on store shelves as common cabbage - and yet it is quite popular in cooking and home medicine. What are the benefits and harms of savoy cabbage, and what is the best way to use it?

What does savoy cabbage look like?

The vegetable belongs to the same cruciferous family as common cabbage. Outwardly, they are very similar. However, it is quite easy to distinguish between the two varieties of vegetables. You need to look at the leaves - the heads of Savoy are thin, corrugated, as if covered with small bubbles, and the veins on them are almost invisible.

Composition and calorie content of savoy cabbage

The calorie content of the vegetable is very small - only 27 calories per 100 g of cabbage. At the same time, most of all in the composition of carbohydrates - 74%, proteins are present in the volume of 24%, there are even fats - 1.2%.

The main benefit of a vegetable is its composition. It includes:

• vitamins - C, E, A;
• B vitamins;
• nicotinic acid PP;
• a small amount of vegetable fiber;
• calcium and manganese;
• iron, potassium and sodium;
• amino acids;
• natural antioxidants.

Benefits of Savoy cabbage

Due to the high content of valuable substances, the product has not only culinary but also medical value. Namely:

• helps to cleanse the body of toxins and remove carcinogens;
• has a calming effect on the nervous system;
• helps to strengthen resistance to viruses and infections;
• helps to maintain a normal weight with a tendency to obesity;
• stimulates the work of the heart system and strengthens blood vessels;
• helps against edema;
• improves healthy digestion.

The product also has several other special properties.

For men and women

For women, the benefits of savoy cabbage leaves are that the vegetable works well on the reproductive system and promotes increased blood clotting. This is especially useful for heavy and painful periods.

For men, the vegetable reduces the risk of prostate inflammation. Against the background of vascular strengthening, the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes decreases, to which men are especially prone.

For children

For the child's body, the vegetable is useful in that it helps to strengthen the immune system and increases stress resistance. However, it can be given to a child only after 6 months, and then having previously welded and finely wiped. A fresh vegetable is recommended to be introduced into the diet no earlier than after 1 year of life.

For the elderly

The product will be of great benefit to elderly people - since it prevents the development of atherosclerosis, has an antioxidant effect and fights cholesterol deposits.The vegetable helps speed up slow digestion.

Slimming

The low-calorie vegetable is great for a dietary diet. Fiber in its composition not only speeds up the metabolism, but also muffles the feeling of hunger.

Savoy cabbage during pregnancy and breastfeeding

While carrying a baby, the product is allowed. Its benefit lies in the fact that it helps a woman get rid of edema and constipation, eliminates severe toxicosis, saturates the body with calcium and vitamins.

But during lactation, it is better to abstain from a fresh vegetable - in order to avoid colic in the baby. True, it is still allowed to use stewed and boiled product - it stimulates the production of breast milk.

Traditional medicine recipes with savoy cabbage

The product is highly valued in folk medicine. It is recommended to use it:

• with heart ailments;
• as prevention of oncology;
• for problems with teeth and gums;
• with vitamin deficiency and lack of strength;
• with a tendency to gain weight and obesity;
• with gastric disorders and liver diseases;
• as prevention of vision diseases.

With a stomach ulcer

For peptic ulcer disease, it is recommended to mix an equal amount of water and fresh cabbage juice, and then drink 3 sips in the morning and evening before meals, for a month. After the course, you need to take a break for another 2 months.

For heart

For the prevention of heart ailments, they use a fruit and vegetable salad based on cabbage. Pieces of banana, grapefruit and kiwi are added to 100 g of finely chopped fresh leaves, pour a little honey on top and sprinkle with flax seeds. Such a dish, when consumed 3 - 5 times a week, has an extremely positive effect on the heart system.

Hangover

Fresh vegetable perfectly helps to cope with the intoxication of the body after a feast. Mix 100 ml of fresh cabbage juice with 5 g of honey, stir well, squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the mixture and stir again. The effect will come after the first portion in the morning, but for better cleansing of the body, it is recommended to prepare the infusion twice more - at lunchtime and before dinner.

Can savoy cabbage for diabetes

For diabetics, the product will be beneficial, since it normalizes blood pressure, has a diuretic effect and helps to get rid of edema.

The use of savoy cabbage in cosmetology

The vegetable is also beneficial in the cosmetic field, since it has a good effect on the skin, providing a rejuvenating, cleansing and tightening effect.

The following homemade lotion will work well against inflammation and acne:

• 50 ml of fresh savoy cabbage juice is mixed with 25 ml of pure water;
• add 25 ml of salicylic alcohol to the mixture;
• the lotion is thoroughly stirred and rubbed over the face in the morning and in the evenings after removing the makeup.

For moisturizing and rejuvenating dry skin, use a cabbage mask.

• A couple of fresh cabbage leaves are boiled in milk until they soften.
• Then the soft leaves are rubbed through a strainer.
• After that, the mask is applied to clean skin for half an hour.

When used three times a week, the mask will effectively soften and moisturize dry skin.

How to cook savoy cabbage

In what form is the product most useful and how can it be processed?

• The maximum benefit lies in fresh leaves that retain all vitamins to the fullest.
• Boiled and stewed vegetables are also healthy, although the amount of valuable substances in it decreases slightly after heat treatment. After boiling or stewing, the leaves become much softer and acquire a delicate pleasant taste.
• Another way to cook a vegetable is to bake it in the oven. The concentration of nutrients in it becomes less, however, baked dishes with cabbage still saturate the body with vitamins and microelements.

But frying a vegetable, at least fresh, is not recommended - from this it loses not only its benefits, but also its taste. Only pre-boiled or stewed leaves can be processed in a pan.

What to cook with Savoy cabbage

Dozens of salads, first and second courses are prepared on the basis of the product. For example, the following savoy cabbage dishes are popular:

• cabbage rolls;
• stewed cabbage leaves with the addition of meat or other vegetables;
• schnitzels;
• meat, fish and vegetable casseroles with this vegetable;
• soups using vegetables;
• delicious and nutritious vegetable salads.

Boiled or stewed vegetables can be used to fill pies and pies.

Choosing and storing savoy cabbage

You can find a vegetable in stores at any time of the year. It is easy to choose it. The leaves of the product should be green, fresh, without yellowish or brown spots, without whitish bloom. No rot or damage to the head of cabbage is allowed.

Store cabbage is not stored for long - a maximum of a week in the refrigerator. Therefore, it is better to buy medium-sized heads of cabbage and use them immediately.

The harm of savoy cabbage and contraindications

Of course, the benefits of the product are not universal - sometimes it can be harmful. Contraindications for its use include:

• acute gastritis;
• a stomach ulcer in a state of exacerbation;
• pancreatitis;
• thyroid disease;
• severe heart ailments.

Also, the product is not recommended to eat in large quantities - in large quantities it provokes bloating and flatulence.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of savoy cabbage depend on how carefully you use it. In the absence of contraindications, the product will have a beneficial effect on the body, but with serious chronic ailments it is better to refrain from this vegetable.