Most of our diets must involve cooking since it softens some food ingredients, such as fiber. But does cabbage lose nutrients when cooked? Yes, cabbage loses some nutrients when cooked; nutrients like vitamin C are lost during cooking vegetables.
However, cooking cabbage can make some nutrients more accessible and easier to digest. Cooking cabbage breaks down its cell walls, thus releasing more of the nutrients bound to the cell walls.
The extent to which cooking destroys the nutrients in cabbage depends on the method as well as the duration of cooking.
Cooking cabbage reduces water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and some vital minerals, mainly potassium, sodium, and magnesium.
However, cooking can increase the availability of certain antioxidants in cabbage, such as carotenoids (beta-carotene) and polyphenols.
Also read: Nutritional value of cooked cabbage
Does cooking cabbage affect its nutritional value?
Cabbage is a nutrient-dense cruciferous vegetable rich in vitamins C and K; it contains good fiber and antioxidants.
Whether cooking cabbage affects its nutritional value has been a scientific research subject for many years.
Research shows that cooking cabbage can lead to the loss of some nutrients, but the extent to which these nutrients are lost could depend on the cooking method and the time spent cooking your cabbage.
Even though cooking cabbage may reduce some of its nutrients, it may also increase the bioavailability of some of its nutrients.
A publication in the Journal of Food Chemistry reveals that cooking helps increase the antioxidant content of brassica vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
The study showed that for all cooked veggies, using steaming, boiling, and microwaving techniques, the antioxidant content was highest in steamed vegetables and lowest in microwaved vegetables.
All steamed vegetables had higher antioxidants than the matching raw vegetables. However, the antioxidant content decreases with a longer cooking time, regardless of the cooking methods.
Cooking cabbage can also lead to the breakdown of fiber in the vegetable, which may make it easier for digestion and the absorption of certain nutrients.
Cooking may increase the bioavailability of some nutrients in cabbage, like lutein and beta-carotene.
However, regarding the vitamin C content of vegetables, research shows that boiling destroys the concentration of vitamin C because this vitamin is heat-sensitive.
Also read: Does cooking kale destroy nutrients?
The impact of domestic cooking methods on cabbage’s nutritional content
A publication reveals that cabbage contains a high level of glucosinolates. When hydrolyzed by myrosinase, it yields products with anticarcinogenic activity.
Myrosinase hydrolysis of glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate) yields isothiocyanate and sulforaphane.
A review in the Journal of Medical Food suggests that sulforaphane is an isothiocyanate found in its stored form in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli as glucoraphanin.
Glucosinolate hydrolysis products are responsible for the health-promoting effects of brassica vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.
Sulforaphane is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and protection against cancer and osteoporosis.
Evidence has shown that the cooking technique significantly affects cabbage’s myrosinase stability and glucosinolate concentrations.
Steaming preserves glucosinolates in cooked cabbage, while boiling leads to significant losses of glucosinolates.
The boiling of cabbage causes the leaching of a considerable amount of glucosinolates into the cooking water.
The analysis of the steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying of cabbage showed that steaming leads to a significant increase in the isothiocyanates present in the cabbage.
A study reveals that the protein content of cabbage decreases with cooking, with the rate of reduction corresponding to the severity of the cooking process.
Post-cooking analysis revealed that stir-frying cabbage retains the most protein compared to cooking cabbage using steaming and microwaving techniques.
Another study published in Food Chemistry revealed that cooking methods such as steaming, microwave heating, boiling, and stir-frying significantly reduce red cabbage’s anthocyanin and total glucosinolate contents.
Although raw vegetables are generally high in vitamin C when compared to cooked vegetables,
However, steaming results in more excellent retention of Vitamin C, while stir-frying and boiling lead to a significant loss of vitamin C and total phenolic compounds.
Also read: Does cooking Brussel sprouts destroy nutrients?
Does microwaving makes cabbage lose nutrients when cooked?
When it comes to nutritional losses during cooking, water is the enemy.
Because of this, steaming is one of the best ways to protect easily destroyed nutrients, like vitamin C and many B vitamins.
Steaming vegetables preserve more of their vitamins because they don’t come in contact with the cooking water.
Boiling destroys more nutrients than techniques like grilling, roasting, and stir-frying. Save the nutrient-rich cooking water from boiling your veggies for sauces and soups.
Contrary to common belief, microwaving vegetables does not destroy their nutritional value compared to other cooking methods.
In terms of preserving vitamin C and glucosinolates, microwaving your cabbage might even beat boiling because it cooks faster and uses very little water.
Reducing cabbage’s nutrient loss: Tips for cooking
When you cook this green, leafy vegetable, you risk reducing some of those vital nutrients through the cooking process, the amount of heat, and the cooking duration.
However, choosing a specific cooking technique can increase bioavailability and reduce the loss of some nutrients in cooked cabbage.
Here are a couple of cooking techniques to help you reduce the nutrients lose in your cooked cabbage.
Limit the boiling time of the cabbage. When boiling your vegetable, the water-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin C and folate, can be depleted.
Boiling the veggies may also lead to losing a more significant amount of the mineral potassium.
Vegetables rich in vitamin C, like cabbage, are highly susceptible to losing vitamin C when cooked because vitamin C is sensitive to heat.
Cabbage contains a significant amount of vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system. The potassium helps boost the electrolytes, thus speeding recovery post-workout.
Cook with a small amount of healthy fat: use coconut, avocado, and olive oil to cook your cabbage. The fat therein helps improve the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K.
Other cooking tips to help you reduce nutrients lose in cooked cabbage include
- Avoid continuous re-heating of your cabbage. Opt for a shorter cooking time.
- Choose steaming or cooking in the microwave with little water over boiling to preserve more nutrients.
- Cut your veggies (cabbage) into large chunks. Chopping and shredding will expose more of the cabbage to the air and cause it to lose more nutrients.
- Prepare your cabbage close to eating time.
- When boiling your cabbage is unavoidable, use a small amount of water and keep the water for preparing your soup.
Is frozen cabbage less nutritious?
Cabbage can lose nutrients in various ways, not just during cooking.
Fresh cabbage can lose some nutritional value while being transported to a distribution center, displayed in the grocery store, and kept in your crisper before it reaches your steamer basket or microwave.
To shorten the time between harvest and table, buy your cabbage at farmers’ markets whenever feasible.
Consider freezing cabbage when it is out of season.
The nutritional content of frozen cabbage closely matches that of its fresh-picked counterparts.
Frozen cabbages are flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness when they are most nutrient-packed.
Conclusion
A study shows that cooking cabbage may affect its nutritional value. Cooking cabbage may lower the concentrations of some nutrients as well as increase their bioavailability.
While cooked cabbage supplies more antioxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene, cooking also destroys the vitamin C content of cabbage.
The impacts of various cooking methods (i.e., steaming, boiling, microwaving, and stir-frying) on the cabbage’s vitamin C content differ; steaming retains more vitamin C in cooked cabbage.
However, no single cooking method will preserve 100% or prevent nutrients lose in cooked cabbage. Therefore, use different ways to cook your vegetables.
Eat your cabbage in raw and cooked forms for its full nutritional benefits.