Bok choy is a crispy vegetable with large dark green leaves and creamy white flat stems and veins. You can do all sorts of things with it in the culinary field. It is an ideal stir-fry vegetable. Raw it has a light anise-like aftertaste and the leaves, as well as the white stem cut into pieces, can easily be mixed into a raw salad. Bok choy is very soft and should definitely not be boiled or fried for a long time. NB! This article is written from the personal view of the author and may contain information that is not scientifically substantiated and/or in line with the general view.

Contents:

• Bok choy, originally a Chinese vegetable
• Chock full of vitamins
• Mineral-rich vegetable
• Health effects of pak choi
• Anticancer effects of bok choy
• Everything in moderation
• Eating tips pak choi

Bok choy, originally a Chinese vegetable

Bok choy is an originally Asian vegetable. It is now also grown in Europe, especially in Spain. In China, people started cultivating the vegetable 5,000 years ago. In the Ming dynasty, the vegetable was examined for its medicinal properties in China by the pharmacologist Liu Shizen. From China, the vegetable has conquered the world.Source: Forest & Kim Starr, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-3.0)

Chock full of vitamins

Bok choy is a vegetable that contains more vitamins than many other vegetables. It is one of the most healthy vegetables available. Bok choy contains a lot of vitamin C. 100 grams of this large-leaved vegetable is enough for 75% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C. The RDA value for vitamin A is even higher because one ounce is good for 149% of the RDA. . This means it contains more vitamin A than cabbages such as cauliflower. As far as vitamin K is concerned, this tasty plant contains 28% of the RDA. It doesn’t stop there because it also contains 16% of the RDA for folic acid (vitamin B11) and for vitamins B5 and B6 it contains 15% of the RDA.

Mineral-rich vegetable

Bok choy is rich in calcium and iron. These minerals contain 10% of the RDA. In addition, it contains 7% of the RDA of manganese and 5% of the RDI for phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. There are of course more vitamins and minerals in it, but their values are less than 5% of the RDI.

Health effects of pak choi

Bok choy is a cabbage vegetable. These are very healthy and should be on the menu every day. The cancer-fighting properties of coal have been extensively researched. Coal in general has the following health-promoting properties:

• Anti-inflammatory at the cellular level,
• Antioxidant effect,
• Anticancer,
• Aids in digestion,
• Detoxifying (detox) and
• Preventing cardiovascular diseases.

Anti-inflammatory means that inflammation is counteracted at cell level within cells. If they become prevalent, these can cause various diseases such as diabetes, cancer and obesity . Products that promote these inflammations are sugar, fructose, white flour products and white rice.Source: JS, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA-3.0)

Anticancer effects of bok choy

Vitamins A and C have strong antioxidant properties that prevent many diseases, including cancer. In addition, pak choi contains many glucosinolates. These are phytonutrients with a strong anti-cancer effect. It contains all kinds of enzymes that are converted in the body into substances that fight cancer. The effect of all these cancer-fighting substances is best preserved if the vegetable is eaten raw. It can also be blanched, steamed or briefly stir-fried.

Everything in moderation

Everything in moderation. Too much bok choy is not good. In principle, the cancer-fighting glucosinolates can be dangerous if you make a habit of eating more than a pound to a pound and a half of bok choy per day. There is a known case of a Korean woman who developed hypothyroidism from consuming too much bok choy. She died from eating 1 to 2 kilos of pak choi per day for years. Hypothyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland produces too few hormones. Fortunately, these cases are rare. It indicates that it is important to eat as varied as possible.

Eating tips pak choi

Bok choy leaves can be used as a lettuce leaf in a mixed salad. You can also add the crispy, white veins to salads, but you can also stir-fry them to make a vegetable mix for rice. Bok choy is an ideal cabbage as a base for a vegetable smoothie; mix it in a blender with plenty of water. A dark green bok choy leaf makes a great healthy homemade sandwich with Dutch cheese. Bok choy leaves are among the alternative lettuce leaves with which you can create an original salad.