Why Kewpie Is Focusing on Cabbage: A Bite That Switches Your Mood

1. Why cabbage for Kewpie? The Kewpie Group handles about 33,000 tons of cabbage annually in packaged salads and prepared foods. As a company that has worked closely with cabbage, Kewpie wants to communicate that cabbage is not merely a side dish. It may also serve as a “switch” that helps regulate our state of mind. In today’s stress-filled society, the need to refresh through food is higher than ever. As one of the companies in Japan that handles especially large volumes of cabbage, Kewpie set out to explore its emotional value. 2. Choosing a mental switch by how you eat it To clarify the emotional effects of vegetable intake, Kewpie conducted a sensitivity evaluation using EEG measurements. The results suggested that cabbage may have different positive effects on the brain depending on whether it is eaten raw or heated. Crunchy raw cabbage may help charge concentration. After consuming raw cabbage, EEG values related to “attention” rose significantly. Kewpie recommends raw cabbage when you want to regain focus during work or study breaks. Soft heated cabbage may support relaxation. Eating heated cabbage increased EEG values related to “meditation” or relaxation and indicated more active parasympathetic nervous system activity. At the end of the day, warm steamed cabbage may help create a calm, relaxing moment. In addition, both ways of eating cabbage appeared to make people feel more “joyful.” A subjective mood evaluation conducted alongside the EEG measurements found that after eating cabbage, scores for the positive emotion “fun” increased whether the cabbage was raw or heated. 3. Kewpie’s proposal: one bite to reset yourself Vegetable intake has been declining in recent years, and busy modern lifestyles call for solutions that are easier to incorporate into everyday routines. Even when people want to eat more vegetables, they may not have time to prepare elaborate dishes or think up recipes. Kewpie suggests making salads freer and simpler, especially on busy days. For example, adding colorful ingredients such as imitation crab sticks to shredded cabbage can turn a side dish into a satisfying plate and expand menu variety. Cabbage can also switch your state of mind depending on how it is prepared. In the morning, a crunchy coleslaw can help charge concentration. At night, a soft steamed cabbage salad prepared in the microwave can help you relax after a long day. Kewpie proposes incorporating this kind of meal as a way to reset yourself. Kewpie will continue to support individual lifestyles by proposing salad styles and eating habits that are easy to maintain, while sharing the appeal of salads and contributing to food and health around the world.