JANUARY FOOD OF THE MONTH: CABBAGE

• Taste: Astringent, Sweet

• Temperature: Cooling

• Post-Digestive Effect: Reducing

• Dosha: Pitta, Kapha (will need to be cooked with spices and ghee for vata or it will aggravate them)

• Qualities:  Light, Drying

• Properties: Anti-inflammatory (reduces inflammation), Alterative (blood cleansing), Antioxidant, Anti-carcinogenic (reduces carcinogens), Diuretic (promotes urination)

• Best flavor combos: bay leaf, caraway seeds, cheese, cinnamon, cloves, cranberries, fennel, mustard, oil, sesame, vinegar, walnuts, sugar

• Season: Available year-round, but I think of cabbage of more of a winter & fall veggie. Areas with mild winters will see more cabage this time of year and areas with harsh winters will see cold-weather varieties such as Brunswick, Deadon, and January King.

Cabbage!

When I think of cabbage, I think of kapha, weight loss, edema, and depression.

That is actually why I picked it for our January food of the month. We are ending Vata season this month, and by the time we enter February and March, we will be well into Kapha aggravation season - feeling heavy, slow, sluggish, cold, damp - if you don't feel so already :).

Cabbage is the perfect food that can support us during this aggravation season. But, the secret is, we HAVE to know how to cook it appropriately.

In the colder months, it is NOT the time to have a salad or slaw, save that for the summer or spring. Right now, think of cooking your cabbage until it is tender, melt in your mouth, cook it into a soup or a stew. Cabbage can be difficult to digest, so why eat it raw when it is cold out and digestion is naturally weaker than in the warmer months?

Cabbage can also be gas-forming, so unless you cook it with a fat like ghee or oil and with spices like bay leaves, fennel, ajwain, asafetida, etc, you will most likely have gas from it, especially if you are vata. Vata types may also want to think about pairing cabage with vinegar or another sour taste as this will increase metabolic secretions, aide in digestibility and reduce thier drying nature. Regardless, have cabbage in moderation if you are vata - it is too light and drying for you.

The light nature of cabbage makes it great for depression - a heavy emotion which many people struggle with during this season. It also increases lightness in the body overall and is a diuretic which aides in weight loss and edema. It's anti-inflammatory nature makes it helpful for peptic ulcers, hyperacidity, or anyone with chronic inflammatory conditions. It is known to cool the mind, freshen the eyes, and relieve tension in the body making it great for pitta & kapha.

References

• "Cooked Cabbage." Joyful Belly Ayurveda, Cooked Cabbage Benefits (According to Ayurveda). Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

• Page, K. (2014). The vegetarian flavor bible. Little, Brown and Company.

• Smith, Vaidya Atreya. Ayurvedic Medicine for Westerners: Volume 3 – Clinical Protocols and Treatments in Ayurveda. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.

5 MINUTE SLAW (SUMMER)

CABBAGE & WILD RICE STUFFING

WINTER MIXED VEG PAPILLOTES