11 Amazing Health Benefits of Bok Choy

Bok Choy is packed with impressive health benefits that includes fighting cancer, supporting healthy bones, supporting healthy cardiovascular system, maintaining blood pressure, fighting anemia, supporting healthy eyes, supporting healthy immunity, enhancing the skin, supporting healthy digestion, promoting healing and fighting inflammation.

What is Bok Choy?

Bok Choy is considered to be one of the healthiest forms of leafy green vegetables. This vegetable belongs to the brassica family and is closely related to cabbage.

It is a staple in Asian cuisine and is an important part of dishes such as stir-fry and hot pots. China is one of the largest producers of multiple varieties of this vegetable. Bok Choy, like many other vegetables from its family, has the same sweet, but peppery flavor. The most popular variety has short pure white stems with contrasting rich green leaves.

In some countries outside of Asia, bok choy is referred to as Chinese cabbage or Chinese white vegetable. Bok choy has been recorded for its medicinal uses in the early fifth century in China. Archeologists have dug up evidence of seeds closely resembling those of Bok choy in the yellow river valley of China; these seeds are thought to be about 6,000 years old.

Bok choy is packed full of flavor and is a delicious way to keep up with the intake of vital vitamins such as vitamin A and C. It is a moderately priced vegetable and its cultivation has increased dramatically over the past decades as it is easy to grow and can persevere the harshness of cold weather.

Ancient Chinese healers used the benefits of bok choy to treat fever, cough and other ailments in this category. It is thought to have a cooling effect and can also be used to calm inflammation both internally and externally – on the skin.

Bok choy has traveled with immigrants all around the world; its seeds were being sold in America during the 1800’s. Bok choy can be eaten raw, but is ideally cooked in the Chinese cuisine. The baby bok choy variety is easier to eat raw, much like spinach. Here are some amazing health benefits of eating of incorporating this vegetable in your daily diet:

11 Amazing Health Benefits Of Bok Choy

Bok Choy health benefits

1. Anti-cancer

Bok choy and other members of its family have shown fairly positive effects on preventing cancer. They contain other-wise hard to find sulfur-based compounds such as isothiocyanates, which turn into glucosinolates, which promote cell death in free radicals. The folate present in bok choy is excellent to repair the DNA and prevent cell damage. The beta-carotene in bok choy is a powerful antioxidant that has been observed to reduce the risk of breast, prostate and lung cancer.  Bok choy is an excellent source of selenium, which is a tumor- inhibiting compound and stops the formation of cancerous tumors.

2. Healthy Bones

Healthy bones and maintaining bone density becomes essential as age progresses and bok choy can do the trick for you. The nutrient-dense composition features vitamin K alongside calcium that can help you maintain your bone and teeth health. Other minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorus promote the production of collagen between joints to keep them working like a well-oiled machine. Vitamin K deficiency has been linked to greater risk of fractures and weaker bones. The combination of vitamin k and calcium promote a well-balanced bone matrix and also balance the amount of uric acid in the body.

3. Healthy Cardiovascular System

Bok choy is a leafy green vegetable with a good serving of fiber combined with minerals such as phosphorus and magnesium. This makes for a powerful heart protecting composition that clears out the arteries, flushing all that bad cholesterol out of your system, promoting heart health. The vitamins along with potassium are effective in controlling the levels of homocysteine, which is a compound that can damage blood vessels.

4. Blood Pressure

Blood pressure can be the basis of various diseases and can adversely affect how your heart functions, leading to hypertension or low blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause blood clots in the brain, which can cause a brain hemorrhage. Bok choy is one of the best sources of potassium combined with vitamin A and C. The magnesium in bok choy has a calming effect on nerves and promotes adequate blood flow. Potassium is what keeps the heart healthy and functioning; the daily requirement for potassium for an adult is 4700 milligrams.  Bok choy is naturally flavorful and has absolutely no sodium, which is especially healthy for the heart.

5. Anti-Anemia

Anemia is caused due to the deficiency of iron in the body and can have severe consequences for your health, especially in women who are expecting. It can be harmful to the cognitive development of the fetus. Bok choy hosts an impressive combination of folate and 0.8mg of iron per 100 grams of raw serving. Folate helps the body absorb iron more efficiently, which in turn leads to increased production of red blood cells by the body. Keeping the hemoglobin in check is another benefit that bok choy provides through the delivery of iron.

6. Healthy Eyes

The constituents found in bok choy are excellent for overall eye health. The beta-carotene, selenium, Vitamin K, and vitamin C, combine to maintain eye health. The beta-carotene specifically protects the coronary tract of the eyes and provide protection against the formation of cataracts and glaucoma. Bok choy has been observed to reduce macular degeneration and slow it down to a large extent.

7. Healthy Immunity

A healthy functioning immune system is necessary to prevent any chronic disease from entering the body. The idea is quite simple to eat foods that are rich in nutrients and especially in vitamin C to prevent your immune system from going haywire as autoimmune disease are no jokes. Adding bok choy to your salads, stir fries and even instant noodles will promote the production of white blood cells in the body. Immunity is the body’s barrier not only against chronic illness, but also infections and seasonal viruses.

8. Healthy Glowing Skin

Taking care of your skin externally is necessary to remove dead cells from clogging the surface, but what you are eating is going to impact the appearance of your skin largely. Bok choy is an excellent source of vitamin C white is the holy grail of vitamins for skin health. It keeps the skin glowing from within and promotes the production of collagen in the body.

9. Healthy Digestion

In ancient medicine, it was believed that all diseases originate in the gut and that is quite true. Bok choy has been used to treat digestive disorders for centuries, it was added to broths and food to bulk up the stool and heal diarrhea.

10. Promotes Healing

Bok choy contains a healthy amount of vitamin K that enhances blood clotting, helping to heal open cuts, bruises and wounds faster. This is excellent for people who are recovering from surgeries and other injuries.

11. Anti-inflammatory

Bok choy is a source of choline which is an inflammation reducing agent and is linked to improving learning skills and memory. It also calms inflammation and reduces the chances of inflammation-related diseases such as arthritis and joint pains.

Bottom Line

The vast list of benefits is reasons enough to add this delicious vegetable to your meal. It can be used to amp up even the simplest of meals can be added to your morning omelet along with spinach.

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