Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsNutrition FactsBenefitsWhen to Avoid ItMeal Ideas
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Nutrition Facts
Benefits
When to Avoid It
Meal Ideas
Bok choy is a Chinese cabbage often used in Asian cuisine, particularly soups and stir-fries. This vegetable resembles celery at the stem and tapers into green leaves that collect at the top. Bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable, along with broccoli and kale. It belongs to theBrassicaceae(also known asCruciferae) family of plants that contain many health-promoting nutrients.
This article examines the nutritional and health benefits of eating bok choy, including how to prepare it and whether someone may want to avoid it.
Kilito Chan / Getty Images
Nutrition Facts: 1 Serving of Bok Choy
One serving of leafy green vegetables like bok choy is one cup of loosely packed raw leaves. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a 1-cup, or 70 gram (g), serving of raw bok choy leaves has the following nutritional profile:
Bok choy is a good source of vitamins C and K and provides a variety of other vitamins and minerals that support overall wellness.
Compounds and Nutrients
Bok choy is packed withphytonutrientsand compounds known to benefit health.
Bok choy and other greens are rich in antioxidants, which are compounds that help protect your cells from oxidative stress and damage. Without antioxidants, your body becomes more susceptible to inflammation and disease. One of the major antioxidants in bok choy is vitamin C.
As a cruciferous vegetable, bok choy also contains sulfur-containing compounds calledglucosinolates. These compounds are responsible for these veggies' bitter taste and pungent odor but also offer numerous health benefits.
Which Antioxidants Are Best?
Benefits of Eating More Bok Choy
Eating bok choy is a great way to add more health-promoting nutrients and compounds to your diet.
Glucosinolate and isothiocyanates have been studied for their potential cancer-preventive activity and their heart, brain, and musculoskeletal health benefits.
The vitamins and minerals found in bok choy offer additional benefits, such as:
Why Is Cabbage Healthy?
When to Skip Bok Choy
Are there disadvantages of bok choy? For most people, bok choy is a healthy addition to the diet when consumed in moderation. In large amounts, however, bok choy may pose a risk of side effects, albeit in rare cases.
Research on the potential thyroid effects of eating bok choy (or other vegetables containing isothiocyanates) is limited. To reduce your risk, just consume bok choy in normal amounts as you would other vegetables.Furthermore, cooking bok choy deactivates myrosinase, removing this risk altogether.
Can You Eat Bok Choy Raw?Bok choy can be eaten both raw and cooked. If you typically eat a large amount of bok choy and are concerned about myrosinase and your thyroid, cook bok choy first.
Can You Eat Bok Choy Raw?
Bok choy can be eaten both raw and cooked. If you typically eat a large amount of bok choy and are concerned about myrosinase and your thyroid, cook bok choy first.
Bok Choy Meal Prep Inspiration
One of the best things about preparing meals with bok choy is that you can consume all parts of the plant, including thegreen leavesand the white stem, if you choose to. It has a strong smell and a slightly bitter flavor that lends itself well to several recipes.
If you’ve never used bok choy before, you’ll notice that it looks different than a round head of cabbage you probably see at the grocery store. The good news is that it can be prepared in several delicious, healthy ways. Plus, some research suggests that cooking it, such as in stir-fries, increases the concentration of certain antioxidants.
Here are some ideas:
Be creative. However you decide to experiment with bok choy in the kitchen, you will be adding flavor, texture, and nutrition to your meals.
Summary
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage and a cruciferous vegetable. It’s best known for its uses in Asian cuisine, like soups and stir-fries, but bok choy can be consumed raw or cooked. It’s rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and compounds called glucosinolates and isothiocyanate, studied for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and heart, brain, and musculoskeletal health benefits.
If you like leafy greens and cruciferous veggies, try this one to add a unique flavor and variety of nutrients to your diet.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.Science of flavor: cruciferous vegetables.
FDA.Daily value on the nutrition and supplement facts labels.
USDA FoodData Central.Cabbage, chinese (pak-choi), raw.
Amarowicz R, Pegg RB.Natural antioxidants of plant origin.Adv Food Nutr Res. 2019;90:1-81. doi:10.1016/bs.afnr.2019.02.011
Abdull Razis AF, Noor NM.Cruciferous vegetables: dietary phytochemicals for cancer prevention.Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2013;14(3):1565-1570. doi:10.7314/apjcp.2013.14.3.1565
Jiang X, Liu Y, Ma L, et al.Chemopreventive activity of sulforaphane.Drug Des Devel Ther. 2018;12:2905-2913. doi:10.2147/DDDT.S100534
Bai Y, Wang X, Zhao S, Ma C, Cui J, Zheng Y.Sulforaphane protects against cardiovascular disease via Nrf2 activation.Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2015;2015:407580. doi:10.1155/2015/407580
Connolly EL, Sim M, Travica N, et al.Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables and their potential role in chronic disease: investigating the preclinical and clinical evidence.Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:767975. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.767975
Cheteu Wabo TM, Wu X, Sun C, et al.Association of dietary calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium intake and hypertension: a study on an 8-year dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Nutr Res Pract. 2022;16(1):74-93. doi:10.4162/nrp.2022.16.1.74
Han L, Wu Q, Wang C, et al.Homocysteine, ischemic stroke, and coronary heart disease in hypertensive patients: a population-based, prospective cohort study.Stroke. 2015;46(7):1777-1786. doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.009111
Muñoz-Garach A, García-Fontana B, Muñoz-Torres M.Nutrients and dietary patterns related to osteoporosis.Nutrients. 2020;12(7):1986. Published 2020 Jul 3. doi:10.3390/nu12071986
Felker P, Bunch R, Leung AM.Concentrations of thiocyanate and goitrin in human plasma, their precursor concentrations in brassica vegetables, and associated potential risk for hypothyroidism.Nutr Rev. 2016;74(4):248-258. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuv110
Rungapamestry V, Duncan AJ, Fuller Z, Ratcliffe B.Effect of cooking brassica vegetables on the subsequent hydrolysis and metabolic fate of glucosinolates.Proc Nutr Soc. 2007;66(1):69-81. doi:10.1017/S0029665107005319
Yu Zhang, Rui Lu, Huanlu Song, Shuxiao Zheng, Yun Chen & Ning Zhou (2016)Effect of stir-frying on the antioxidant capacity and aroma components of bok choy (chinese cabbage), International Journal of Food Properties, 19:11, 2536-2549, DOI: 10.1080/10942912.2015.1118385
Meet Our Medical Expert Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit
What is your feedback?
