When youโre pregnant, itโs important to eat a healthy diet that provides the nutrients you need. That helps keep you feeling your best and promotes healthy fetal development. But pregnancy also puts you at higher risk for foodborne illness. Some foods and drinks can increase your risk for pregnancy complications. Avoid high-mercury fish and processed meat, and go easy on salt and caffeine.
Today we're taking a step toward better health! It's National Walking Day, a reminder that physical activity can make a powerful difference for your heart and brain. This year, Iโm grateful to walk alongside my longtime friend, Dr. Mehmet Oz.@drozcms and I hope today inspiresโฆ pic.twitter.com/GOCtp5bupn
Cabbage oftenโand unfairlyโgets overlooked, with flashier veggies and protein-dense superfoods getting all the attention. But as far as nutritional food options go, the leafy green is pretty hard to beat. A staple in different cuisines (American coleslaw! Middle Eastern malfouf! Chinese suan la bai cai!), cabbage has been a longtime favorite amongst global chefs.
โMuch of this stems from its versatility,โ Woldy Reyes, chef and author of the cookbook In the Kusina: My Seasonal Filipino Cooking, tells Vogue. โWe are seeing a growing trend of chefs utilizing it as a centerpiece, such as cabbage steaks, rather than as a side dish. The culinary appeal has never been stronger.โ
โIts popularity stems from its ability to transform,โ addsย Tatiana Mora, chef of plant-based Michelin star restaurantย Mita. โIt can be eaten raw,ย fermented, steamed, roasted, or sautรฉed, consistently providing flavor, texture, and nutrition. I love it because it is a noble vegetable that grows easily, keeps well, and can be used almost entirely, making it perfect for a conscious and respectful approach to cooking.โ
Itโs accessible, easy to cook, and delicious. Here are all the reasons cabbage deserves a seat at your table (get it?) in 2026.
What is cabbage?
Cabbage is a leafy green that is part of the brassica plant family (which also includes broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and kale), says Amy Shapiro, RD, registered dietitian and founder of Real Nutrition. It comes in several varieties, but the most common ones youโll see are green, red (or purple), and savoy. What makes cabbage different from other leafy greens is its density and durability. โItโs heartier, stores longer, and holds up well to cooking, fermenting, and shredding,โ Shapiro says. โNutritionally, it shares many benefits with other cruciferous vegetables, but itโs often milder in flavor and more versatile across cuisines.โ
The Benefits
Besides its versatility, one of the main benefits of cabbage is its many nutrients. Shapiro lists other main benefits of the leafy green:
Supports Gut Health
Shapiro says that, because cabbage contains fiber and other compounds that support digestion, eating this leafy green can benefit the gut bacteria and boost gut health.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Cabbage is also rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients that studies have shown can reduce inflammation, she says.
Boosts Heart Health
Along with fiber, cabbage has potassium, which supports healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Cabbage also has vitamin K, which is essential for blood clotting (and bone health). Shapiro points to red cabbage in particular, which she says contains antioxidants called anthocyanins that studies have shown can improve brain and heart health.
Regulates Blood Sugar
Cabbage is low in calories and carbs while being high in fiber, which can help stabilize glucose levels in the body.
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Hereโs a fact that may surprise you: By the year 2020, depression is projected to be a leading social and economic burden worldwide โ second only to coronary artery disease! Psychotherapy and antidepressants are effective but arenโt for everyone.
But thereโs another treatment for depression thatโs free and available to everyone: exercise. It will also lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol profile, help control blood sugar, and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and common cancers. And, of course, help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
If you run regularly, whether itโs an easy jog around the block to stay fit or an intense training regimen to prepare for a marathon, you need proper nutrition.
Here are some tips to help keep runners well-nourished and ready to win.
Foods for Runners and Joggers
A good diet can boost your physical health and help you meet your fitness goals. Make sure your meals emphasize the following basic components:
Fruit and vegetables for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
Lean protein such as fish, poultry, beans, lentils and tofu
Healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado and nuts
Healthy carbohydrates such as rice, whole grain breads/pastas and oatmeal
Individuals may have different optimal balances, but in general, people who include running or jogging as part of their fitness regimen should get 60% to 70% of their calories from carbohydrates, with lean protein and healthy fats each accounting for 15% to 20% of their remaining calories.
Donโt skimp on carbohydrates
Although low carbohydrate diets are popular go-toโs for people wanting to lose weight, theyโre not ideal for distance runners, who thrive on carbohydrates for endurance.
That is why very low carbohydrate diets, such as the ketogenic diet, plus running is not a good idea. Experts do not recommend keto to runners unless they have been told by their doctor that this a medically safe option for them and they are being monitored while in ketosis.
Distance runners need more carbs than people who arenโt training. Undereating carbohydrates can be hard on your body and affect your recovery after your run.
Hereโs why: Running uses both glucose in the blood and your stores of glycogen. Glucose is the form of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream, and glycogen is the sugar stored in your liver and muscles that acts as the primary fuel for endurance exercise.
Eating plenty of carbs helps ensure that these energy stores are ready to support your training. When those stores get too low, runners are more likely to run out of energy and โburn outโ or โhit a wallโ while training.
Running Diet โ Vitamins and Minerals
Running changes your body and your nutritional needs. Often when people start a running regimen, they are trying to lose weight or get in shape quickly, and they donโt realize they need to adjust their diet.
Especially in women runners, dietitians report seeing a tendency to overdo the running while not eating enough, and this can have an effect on health if they do not adequately replenish lost vitamins and minerals in their diet.
For women in particular, calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health to avoid loss of bone mineral density and the risk of stress fractures.
For more vitamin D, include these foods in your meals:
Vitamin D-fortified dairy and almond, soy or rice based beverages
Eggs
Cereal fortified with vitamin D
Tuna
Salmon
For more calcium, try:
Yogurt and cheese
Tofu
Edamame
Almonds
Canned fish with bones (such as sardines)
Iron deficiency can affect women and even have an impact on their running performance. Menstruation puts people at higher risk of iron deficiency, and if iron isnโt replenished in the diet, decreases in hemoglobin can occur and bring on anemia. Hemoglobin is what carries oxygen throughout the body, including the muscles, so if there is a deficit, the muscles may feel the effect of insufficient oxygen during exercise.
Iron-rich foods include:
Poultry and other meat
Legumes, such as peas and beans
Dark, leafy green vegetables such as kale
Dried fruits and raisins
Iron-fortified breads and cereals
Dietitians recommend eating eating iron rich foods in combination with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus, bell peppers or berries, since vitamin C helps increase the bodyโs absorption of iron.
What to Eat Before Running โ and When
The best time to eat a full meal is about two to three hours before you hit the road, track or trail. Have a good source of carbs paired with protein, making sure the meal focuses on a healthy carb source.
If itโs been more than three to four hours since youโve eaten, a carbohydrate-rich snack a half-hour before running can ensure you have adequate glucose available before you head out. Directly before a run, itโs best to stick with easy-to-digest carbohydrates to avoid gastrointestinal [GI] distress such as cramping or diarrhea.
Try these:
Bananas
Applesauce
Crackers, pretzels or cereal
White bread
Potatoes
Glucose Boosters for Long Distance Runners
If you are training for a marathon or distance event and are going to be out for over an hour, you will want to bring some fuel with you. Energy drinks, gel tubes and other sources of quick blood-glucose boosters are available, but you can also use something as simple as fruit snacks.
Try practicing with these items as you train so you can pick the formulas that are best for you, and you can work on accessing and ingesting them smoothly without breaking stride.
What foods should runners avoid?
Before a run or the night before a big race, Eidel recommends going easy on:
Spicy foods or foods overly high in fat, which can cause GI upset
Foods that are very high in fiber, which can cause gas and cramping
Caffeine โ Although it is tempting to grab a caffeine boost right before a run, runners should remember that for some people, caffeine can stimulate the GI tract, which can result in diarrhea or the need for an emergency bathroom break
Does carb-loading work?
It might. Carb loading is the practice of eating a lot of carbohydrates โ particularly those that are easily absorbed, such as white bread, pasta and rice โ for 24 to 48 hours before a big race or distance run, to shore up your bodyโs stores of glycogen and lessen the risk of burnout before finishing the event.
Some studies show carb loading is beneficial for people preparing for a race, but itโs important to make sure during that time youโre also allowing your body to rest and giving it time to store what you are ingesting. The number of carbohydrate grams will be differ from person to person, but in general, evidence shows carb loading can be beneficial prior to a distance event.
In contrast, casual runners likely do not need to carb load. Ensuring that their day-to-day diets include extra carbohydrates can be sufficient.
What to Eat After a Run
Itโs common for people not to feel hungry after a run, but a snack or light meal of complex carbohydrates and protein within the first hour after running can help replenish glycogen stores and to support recovery and rebuild stressed muscles. For example:
Peanut butter and banana
Egg on toast
Sandwich with deli meat
Pasta with meat or plant-based protein
Veggie burger on a bun
Protein shake or smoothie
Running to Lose Weight
If youโre interested in running as part of a weight loss plan, getting adequate nutrition is a must. Even casual running or jogging burns calories and can be hard on the body. Runners can become undernourished at first because they donโt understand how much energy theyโre burning when they run and what they need to properly recover.
Eating enough is also essential to building muscles, which can aid in fat burning โ a plus for people working on achieving or maintaining a healthy weight.
For optimal weight loss, your plan should not rely on running alone but also include strength training and proper nutrition.
Listen to your body
If you run regularly, you should pay attention to the effects of what you eat and when, especially on running performance. Learning what works best for you can take some time and a little trial and error, but it is worth it, since running, jogging and other regular aerobic exercise offers so many health advantages.
Always feel free to consult a dietitian or doctor, and listen to your body if youโre not keeping up with your training goals.