What foods should be avoided when cooking sweet cabbage?

Green vegetables are an indispensable source of nutrition in the daily meals of Vietnamese people, and sweet cabbage is one of the most commonly used types.

Chinese cabbage ( scientific name Brassica integrifolia), belonging to the Brassicaceae family, is easily recognizable by its creamy white, succulent stem and soft, elongated, neat green leaves.

Not only is this vegetable easy to grow and find, but it also has many health benefits. However, when cooking, some foods are not suitable to be cooked with bok choy because it can reduce nutritional value or cause indigestion.

1. Sweet cabbage - a nutrient-rich vegetable beneficial to health.

With its high fiber, vitamin, and mineral content, bok choy is considered an ideal food for everyone. It offers many health benefits.

Supports strong bones

One of the outstanding nutritional values of bok choy is its abundant calcium content. Calcium plays a crucial role in building and maintaining bone strength.

Regularly including bok choy in your diet can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, especially in older adults and growing children. This is also why bok choy is often included in light, low-fat, yet mineral-rich meals.

Good for digestion and boosts immunity.

Thanks to its high fiber content, bok choy promotes bowel movements, supports better digestion, and reduces constipation. In addition, the vitamin C in bok choy strengthens the immune system, helping the body fight off environmental pathogens.

For those who are frequently stressed, have irregular eating habits, or often catch colds, bok choy is an easy-to-eat and very beneficial food.

Supports the elimination of uric acid.

Gout is a condition related to excess protein and elevated uric acid levels in the blood. Gout patients are often advised to eat plenty of green vegetables to help eliminate uric acid.

Chinese cabbage is rich in antioxidants that have been shown to promote this detoxification process. While not a substitute for medication, Chinese cabbage remains an ideal choice to improve the diet of people with gout.

Good for cardiovascular health.

A diet high in fat and bad cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Sweet cabbage, being low in calories, low in fat, and high in fiber, can help lower blood cholesterol levels.

In particular, the beta-carotene in this vegetable helps reduce the risk of plaque formation, protects the cardiovascular system, and maintains healthy circulation.

2. What foods are incompatible with sweet cabbage?

Although bok choy is considered a mild vegetable that pairs well with many dishes, there are still some foods that shouldn't be combined with it. Fortunately, these "unsuitable" combinations aren't toxic; they mainly affect nutrition or cause indigestion in sensitive individuals. Below are three groups to be aware of.

Cucumber

Cucumbers contain enzymes that can break down vitamin C. Meanwhile, bok choy is a rich source of vitamin C. When eaten or cooked together, the enzymes from cucumbers can significantly reduce the amount of vitamin C in bok choy. This causes the dish to lose some of its nutritional value.

To ensure that the vitamin C content of vegetables is fully preserved, you should avoid combining bok choy and cucumber in the same meal.

Seafood

Seafood such as clams, mussels, and oysters are rich in minerals but also contain substances that can reduce the amount of vitamin B1 in vegetables. Additionally, because seafood can easily cause stomach upset, when combined with fiber-rich vegetables like bok choy, some people – especially those with sensitive intestines – may experience stomach pain or mild diarrhea.

This isn't a major taboo, but for safety and digestion, you should limit combining seafood and bok choy in the same dish.

Animal liver

Pork, beef, and goat livers contain small amounts of copper ions. Copper ions can oxidize vitamin C in sweet cabbage. Therefore, when these two foods are cooked together, vitamin C is easily destroyed, reducing the nutritional value of the dish.

The amount of vitamin C in bok choy is already not as high as in citrus fruits, so further loss through cooking makes the dish even less nutritious. This is why animal liver is on the list of foods that should be avoided when combined with bok choy.

Chinese cabbage is a nutritious food, easy to prepare, and has many positive effects on health. However, to maximize the nutritional value of this vegetable and protect the health of your whole family in a scientific and safe way,

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/can-tranh-nau-chung-rau-cai-ngot-voi-nhung-loai-thuc-pham-nao-post1082290.vnp