Cabbage can be as much a friend as a foe!
It contains significant quantities of raffinose (an indigestible sugar)
that may end up blocking your intestines causing flatulence or bringing
on a bout of diarrhea. Nursing mothers should avoid consuming it as it
might make their baby colicky. Excessive consumption coupled with iodine
deficiency might result in hypothyroidism.
Do you love cabbage? If
you’re consuming copious quantities of the cruciferous vegetable, you
should know that it does have some side effects. If you’ve been eating
large amounts to ease stomach pain, ulcers or even your morning sickness
if you’re pregnant, you’ll want to read on. Also, if you’re someone who
can’t get enough of their cabbage or are on a cabbage diet of some
form, this may apply to you too!
The outcome from multiple epidemiological studies seems to be that an
adult in good health should be able to have about five servings a week
of cruciferous vegetables. Try and stick to half a cup to one cup of raw
cabbage per serving.
Remember, though, each of our bodies is built differently. So what
may be easily digested by one person may be too much for you. You will
need to figure out your own threshold and just how much you can eat
without these side effects.
1. Increased Flatulence
Gas or Flatulence. Possibly the most infamous of all of cabbage’s
side effects, this is one you’ve probably heard of. And it is true. Like
broccoli, cauliflower, bran and beans, cabbage too is not easily
digested by the enzymes of your small intestine. When they reach your
colon, the bacteria act on them, creating gas. If you experience
flatulence or bloating, or find yourself belching often as a result of
eating cabbage, abstaining from this vegetable is the only way to stop
the problem.
2. Iodine Deficiency And Thyroid Problems
Having too much cabbage could interfere with the normal functioning
of your thyroid. This is because it doesn’t allow iodine uptake by the
thyroid to proceed normally. Taken over an extended period of time in
large amounts, it may result in an iodine deficiency, and you might even
develop hypothyroidism or goiter. Occasionally eating some is fine,
though. Just don’t overdo it, especially if you’re also eating other
foods like kale, cauliflower, spinach, pine nuts, mustard green,
turnips, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or millet, which can also disrupt
thyroid function.
3. Diarrhea
Those who have digestive ailments like irritable bowel syndrome would
do well to avoid cabbage, which is high in raffinose (a type of sugar
called a trisaccharide) and not easily digested. Cabbage contains a lot of insoluble fiber – the average serving of 100 gm of raw cabbage has about 2.5 gm of fiber.
All that fiber that’s good for your digestive system, when taken in
excess, can be problematic. You may end up blocking your intestines or
bringing on a bout of diarrhea.
4. Low Blood Sugar Levels
When it comes to helping regulate blood sugar levels, cabbage can be
as much a friend as a foe. While it has the ability to lower blood
glucose levels, consuming large amounts steadily can cause sugar levels
to dip too low. This could potentially cause hypoglycemia if you aren’t
careful. This is the very reason why you should stay off it in the lead
up to any surgery – it could throw off the regulation of your blood
sugar post-operation and during recovery.
5. Colic In Your Breastfed Baby
Remember how cabbage causes gas build-up and flatulence in adults? If
you’re a breastfeeding mother, research shows that your diet could have
an impact on the baby too. In general, it is suggested that you stay
off any foods that cause colic in the baby. Have you been eating a lot
of cabbage of late? That could well be the reason for your baby’s colic.
6. Interaction With Anticoagulants
Cabbage contains 38.2 µg of vitamin K, a natural aid to clotting.
Because anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs work to prevent
coagulation, vitamin K could counter their effect or change their
effectiveness. Which is why you should speak to your doctor about how
much cabbage you can safely consume without it affecting your
medication’s efficacy.
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