Pakcoy Benefits for Health and How to Choose It

Pakcoy is a vegetable from China that has started worldwide. At first glance, pakcoy is similar to mustard greens, only the shape is smaller and shorter. In addition to its delicious taste, the benefits of pakcoy can also be felt by the body. Launching Medical News Today this vegetable is very rich in nutrients and also low in calories. It's perfect for a menu for Moms who are on a low-calorie diet. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrition Data Data, 1 cup or the equivalent of 70 grams of fresh pakcoy contains about 9 calories.

Pakcoy also contains vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus, zinc, sodium, copper, manganese, selenium, niacin, folate, choline, beta-carotene, and vitamin K. Not surprisingly, Pakcoy ranks sixth in the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) for the fruit and vegetable category. The index assesses foods not only based on their vitamin and mineral content, but also their phytochemical composition and antioxidant capacity. Kucifer vegetables, such as bok choy, are rich in glucosinolates. It is a sulfur-containing compound that can benefit human health in a variety of ways. Besides being suitable for dieting, the benefits of Pakcoy can also be felt by pregnant women and babies.

Difference between Pakcoy and Mustard

Often people can hardly tell the difference between mustard greens and pakcoy because of their almost identical physical resemblance. However, if you look closely, these two vegetables have some differences. One of the most distinguishing is in the trunk. Pakcoy stems are larger and tougher in texture, while mustard greens have longer stems and a softer texture.

On the leaves, pakcoy has thicker leaves and is shaped like a spoon which is often called a mustard spoon. Meanwhile, the green mustard leaves are thinner and elongated. The most distinguishing between pakcoy and mustard is the part of the stem, the stem of the mustard greens is longer while the pakcoy is shorter.

Benefits of Pakcoy for Health

Pakcoy is often believed to be able to cure certain diseases thanks to the nutritional content contained in pakcoy. Here are some kinds of health benefits that are obtained when consuming pakcoy:

Prevent Cancer

Pakcoy is believed to prevent cancer in the body. This is because in pakcoy there is an abundant phosphorus content. Phosphorus compounds can prevent mutations in DNA because phosphorus is a compound that forms DNA and RNA in the body.

In addition, pakcoy also has an antioxidant compound in it called selenium. Selenium stimulates the body to produce selenoprotein which functions to convert toxic substances in the body into neutral fluids.

Maintain Eye Health

Pakcoy is good for maintaining eye health because there is a high content of vitamin A in pakcoy. Vitamin A acts as a substance that converts light captured by the retina into electrical impulses to be transmitted through nerves to the brain.

In addition, pakcoy is also high in beta-carotene content in it. Beta-carotene is a provitamin A that acts as an eye guard so as not to get macular degeneration caused by the effects of free radicals.

In addition, the lutein content in pakcoy is also useful in protecting eye tissue from damage caused by sunlight.

Maintain Bone Health

Calcium is needed by the body to strengthen bones. Calcium is one of the substances needed by the body to form osteocalcin which is a non-collagenous chemical compound that plays a role in the process of bone hardening or bone mineralization and pakcoy is a vegetable that contains high calcium.

Pakcoy also contains vitamin K which plays a role in maintaining the availability or stability of calcium in the bones so that the bones do not experience erosion or bone loss.

Contains Antioxidants

Call it several kinds of antioxidants, such as selenium, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta-carotene and vitamin A found in one vegetable, namely pakcoy. Pakcoy does contain various types of antioxidants and their benefits.

For example, lutein compounds that play a role in protecting the eyes from damage caused by the effects of free radicals and can also reduce cholesterol levels in the body.

In addition, other antioxidant compounds, namely selenium, which plays a role in converting toxic substances in the body into neutral and harmless fluids.

Good for Pregnant Women

Some of the nutritional content in pakcoy is very beneficial for pregnant women and their fetuses, such as folic acid, calcium and iron. The content of folic acid is needed by pregnant women for the development of nervous tissue in the fetus. Folic acid is also useful for the fetus to prevent defects in the fetal nervous system.

Meanwhile, calcium plays a role in the formation of bones and teeth in the fetus to make it more optimal and strong. In addition, the iron content also helps pregnant women not to lack blood, because iron is the main compound in the formation of red blood cells.

Pakcoy unwittingly turns out to have various kinds of antioxidant content that can protect the body from the bad effects of free radicals.

How to Choose Pakcoy

Pakcoy sold in the market has various grades and qualities, but there are several ways to choose a good quality pakcoy just by looking at it. Here are tips for choosing pakcoy with good quality:

1. Choose pakcoy with leaves that have not withered or still look fresh.
2. Choose baby pakcoy if you want to process it for children because baby pakcoy has a softer texture.
3. Pay attention to pakcoy stems, do not choose stems that have spots.
4. Do not choose pakcoy with perforated leaves.
5. Do not choose pakcoy with yellow leaves.

The correct selection of pakcoy will get pakcoy with good quality and has a lot of nutritional content.