Anti-Cancer Recipes: Should you Cook Cabbage?

Most people will tell you to eat cabbage for its anti-cancer compounds, but they don’t explain that how you prepare it is key. If you want to get the anti-cancer benefits from cabbage, then heed this advice:

Eat it raw or lightly cooked. Don’t braise or bake or otherwise cook it for a long time. Cooking cabbage destroys the enzyme myrosinase, which is needed to turn compounds called glucosinolates into compounds called isothiocyanates, responsible for the anti-cancer actions.

And when you cut cabbage, make sure the pieces are fairly large—a centimetre or more. (That’s a little less than half an inch, and yes, that’s big.) According to Dr. Paul Thornalley, food scientist at the University of Warwick, smaller cuts will destroy the cascade of actions that result in anti-cancer benefits. So will letting your cut cabbage sit on the counter for hours. Keep cut cabbage in the fridge where it will retain its anti-cancer properties for days, he says.

Need some ideas for consuming that sensitive and powerful head?

• Chunky Coleslaw—Dress it with cold pressed extra virgin olive or flax oil and a little vinegar. Add scallions, cut on the diagonal, and some caraway or cumin seeds. For an Asian vinaigrette, use a dash of sesame oil. (Most other oils and mayos are too high in omega 6 fats; sesame’s also got them so keep the touch light.)

• Steamed cabbage—Use a steamer and a little bit of water, and cook quickly. Then add some tasty seeds or sauce. Or throw the plain steamed cabbage into a bowl of already-cooked soup (instead of cooking it  for a long time with the soup, which will destroy the essential enzymes.)

• Lightly sautéed cabbage—Saute briefly in olive oil on low to medium heat. Or do a steam-saute version, meaning saute cabbage even more quickly in a dab of heated olive oil, then use a little water and gently steam to complete the cooking.  To incorporate spices, sauté them in the oil first, then throw the cabbage in the pan and coat it with the oil-drenched spices. Add other veggies, too. Place the cooked mixture inside a lettuce wrap and add some Asian-inspired dressing, or use as the base for a moo shu veggie platter.

• Sauerkraut—It’s simply raw cabbage that’s been fermented, meaning healthy bacteria are added, which increases the cancer-fighting properties. Make your own. Or look for local brands that haven’t been pasteurized (heated in order to destroy germs.)  Add some turmeric to mustard, then mix it with the kraut, for an even more potent anti-cancer recipe.