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WEEK 8 - BLOG CHALLENGE - Green Cabbage!

Now that Halloween has come and gone, you may be wanting to come down from the sugar high from all the free candy! Here is an easy tip! The best remedy for eating healthy is to CROWD OUT the bad foods by simply ADDING IN some good whole foods!

Cabbage is considered a cruciferous veggetable (also known as a Brassica, which means cabbage in Latin). Cabbage is considered one of the healthiest foods for lowering your cholesterol. How does this work? The high fiber content in cabbage binds together with bile acids and the bile acids help excrete excess cholesterol and toxins!

According to the 'World's Healthiest Foods' organization, cabbage supports the digestive tract as well as the cardiovascular system. Cabbage is rich in polyphenols (antioxidants) and glucosinolates (sulfur containing chemicals). Glucosinolates convert into ITC's (isothiocyanates) and these ITC's help prevent cancer and help regulate good gut flora in the digestive tract. So cabbage has many overall health benefits from lowering inflammation to reduce cancer, to lowering cholesterol and supporting our digestive health to increase good gut flora and help eliminate toxins.

There are a variety of types of cabbage, from red, to green, to savoy, and Napa cabbage - all of which have unique properties. I've chosen to focus on the green cabbage - most common and easiest to integrate into your diet. Most cabbage is often chopped or shredded for consumption, but here is a tip for storing and cutting your cabbage.

* The smaller you cut or chop your cabbage, the greater risk of discoloration, dehydration and nutrient loss. So if you chop or shred your cabbage, it has a shorter shelf life. Storing a whole cabbage will last longer - about a week or more refriderated.

Pastel drawing

Drawing this cabbage was like getting lost in a labyrinth! The many layers of the cabbage leafs create a mesmerizing maze of lines and shapes. Once again, drawing is about capturing the 'essence' of the object and the 'essence' of the cabbage is an organic maze of lines interweaving amoungst themselves in a random pattern. I started by drawing the dark shapes (holes in the pattern) as markers, then drew a random maze of organic lines in and around the shapes. It was a quick and fun way to get lost in it. As I was drawing, I couldn't help wonder if the effects of drawing the cabbage were the same as walking a labyrinth!

This recipe is super simple and a nice change from coleslaw!

Shredded Green Cabbage Salad with Lemon and Garlic.docx

How to get started...
1) Introduce cabbage into your diet this week. Use the recipe provided or find your own.

2) Since cabbage is multi-layered, you may wish to peel a few layers of leaves before chopping it into smaller pieces. Try slicing the head into rings. Arrange the rings, leaves and smaller pieces to create a picture. You may wish to experiment with red and green cabbage for colour variety. Play with your food! Then take a photograph of it. OR slice the cabbage in 1/2 and trace your finger along the maze of lines. On a piece of paper, try to draw the maze of lines- it doesn't have to be an exact replica - just a a sense of the lines curving around themselves. Do you feel calmer after looking at the maze of lines?

Keep it simple and have fun and submit your 'creations' to me at lynnldallaire@gmail.com so I can track your progress for your prize!

Share your recipes on Facebook, or email them to me and I can share them too!