Bok Choy: Health Benefits, and Cooking

The Chinese white cabbage, bok choy, belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables. China was the first place where it was cultivated, and it is now available globally. The leaves are broad and green and the stems are crunchy white. This is an easy-to-prepare ingredient that is used in many Asian soups and stir-fries.

In addition to being high in nutrients and low in calories, bok choy makes a perfect healthy eating choice.

Health Benefits Of Bok Choy

Bok choy is a good source of vitamins, minerals, fibers, and other nutrients, making it an essential part of the diet. Health benefits can be attributed to its antioxidant content. In addition to being healthy, it also tastes delicious.

Bok choy has the following health benefits:

1. Lowers the Risk of Heart Disease — Bok choy contains folate and vitamin B6 which help in lowering the risk of developing heart disease. These nutrients help in removing homocysteine from our blood when it is in large amounts since high homocysteine levels increase the risk of heart disease.

• In studies, leafy greens have been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease in people who consume them regularly.
• Calcium and potassium also lower blood pressure, which lowers the risk of heart problems.

2. Boosts Immune Health– Bok choy contains a nutrient called selenium that contributes to a healthy immune system, enabling our body to fight all harmful viruses and bacteria.

3. Aids in the Prevention of Cancer- Studies show that cruciferous vegetables such as bok choy are full of cancer-fighting compounds like vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, fibers, and selenium.

• Vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene: powerful antioxidants that help in preventing cell damage. As a result, cancer risks are reduced.
• Selenium: slow down the growth rate of tumors.
• Fibers: keeps your digestive system healthy and can help to prevent colon cancer

3. Keeps Skin Healthy- Bok choy contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that fights free radicals and helps to reduce damage to our skin caused by the sun, smoke, or pollution. In addition to preventing wrinkles and fine lines, vitamin C is also able to promote younger-looking skin

4. Protects Eye Health- Not only carrots which are high in beta-carotene helps in lowering your risk of developing age-related eye diseases as you age but bok choy also has a similar feature as it contains a decent amount of vitamin A and beta-carotene which helps in keeping our eyes healthy.
One cup of bok choy contains 38 percent of the recommended vitamin A intake for a healthy adult.

How to Cook Bok Choy?

Bok choy is used as an addition to many dishes. It’s a popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, stir-fries, and soups. It has low-calorie and high nutrient content, its mildly sweet flavor, and crisp texture makes it a great addition to almost any dish. It takes few minutes to cook and can be prepared in a variety of ways. Some ways are:

• Served raw in the form of salad
• Steamed
• Grilled
• Chopped bok choy can be added to soups, stews, or stir fry