Bodybuilding Nutrition Guide: Can Cabbage be Beneficial for Bodybuilding?

When you first see a whole raw cabbage, your reaction may be: How do you eat that? At first glance, a cabbage may look like a head of lettuce, but when you hold it, it often has the heft of a light-weight bowling ball. You may think you've been handed an alien's head. And, if you eat cabbage raw, it has a peculiar aftertaste. So why is it such a great bodybuilding food?

Prepared properly, cabbage can be very tasty and provide significant bodybuilding benefits. According to top nutrition experts in our sport, cabbage has significant anticancer properties, whether you eat it raw or cooked. It's high in vitamins A and C. Most significantly, it can lower estrogen levels, It does this with a phytochemical called indole. This compound is found in many cruciferous vegetables. Many antiestrogen supplements use a specific derivative of cabbage to achieve their effect.

Cabbage is also low in carbohydrates. A cup of raw cabbage has only four grams of carbohydrates and only 16 calories. It's especially good for bodybuilders who need to keep their carbohydrates low. For men, that's typically during their dieting stage. Many female bodybuilders need to keep their carbohydrate count low off-season as well - some women need to keep their carbohydrates down to 250 or even 200 grams a day, so cabbage is an excellent food source for them.

Cooked cabbage can be added to other carbohydrate sources to reduce the overall carbohydrate count for an equal volume of food. top sports nutrition experts recommend adding cabbage to pasta, rice or potatoes. "This will help you cut down on your starchy carbs and still feel full.

To prepare cabbage, you can grill it in soy sauce and/or balsamic vinegar. To do this, place shredded cabbage in a pan coated with nonstick cooking spray and cook it over medium-high heat. It can also be boiled. To make coleslaw, grate raw cabbage and add balsamic vinegar, fat-free mayo and seasonings such as garlic, black pepper, salt and dill. Refrigerate it overnight before serving.