Health Benefits Of Cabbage (1)

What's New and Beneficial About Cabbage

• Cabbage can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in cabbage do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw cabbage still has cholesterol-lowering ability, just not as much as steamed cabbage.
• Researchers now realize that different types of cabbage (red, green, and Savoy) contain different patterns of glucosinolates. This new knowledge means that your broadest health benefits from cabbage are likely to come from inclusion of all varieties in your diet.
• Cabbage in general—but also Savoy cabbage in particular—turns out to be an especially good source of sinigrin. Sinigrin is one of the cabbage glucosinolates that has received special attention in cancer prevention research. The sinigrin in cabbage can be converted into allyl-isothiocyanate, or AITC. This isothiocyanate compound has shown unique cancer preventive properties with respect to bladder cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
• In one recent study, short-cooked and raw cabbage were the only types of cabbage to show cancer-preventive benefits—long-cooked cabbage failed to demonstrate measurable benefits.
• New research shows that steaming is a better cooking method than microwaving if you want to maximize the health benefits of glucosinolates found in cabbage. That's because two minutes of microwaving destroys the same amount of myrosinase enzymes as seven minutes of steaming, and you need those myrosinase enzymes to help convert cabbage's glucosinolates into cancer-preventive compounds.
• Our Healthy Sauté method, which we recommend for cabbage, is very similar to steaming and enhances the flavor the of cabbage. See "How to Enjoy" below.

WHFoods Recommendations

You'll want to include cabbage as one of the cruciferous vegetables you eat on a regular basis if you want to receive the fantastic health benefits provided by the cruciferous vegetable family.

At a minimum, include cruciferous vegetables as part of your diet 2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups. Even better from a health standpoint, enjoy cabbage and other vegetables from the cruciferous vegetable group 4-5 times per week, and increase your serving size to 2 cups.

Traditional methods of steaming or boiling make cabbage watery. To retain the maximum number of nutrients and flavor we recommend Healthy Sautéeing cabbage.

Slice cabbage into 1/4-inch slices and let sit for 5 minutes to enhance its health-promoting benefits before cooking. For more details see Healthiest Way of Cooking Cabbage below.

Our Chinese Chicken Cabbage Salad recipe is a great example of how to enjoy the delicate flavor of napa cabbage in your favorite salad. It is a milder tasting variety of cabbage that boasts the highest concentration of folate.

Enjoy the mild flavor of bok choy by using our Healthy Sauté method of cooking. Bok choy is the #1 vegetable in China and has a higher concentration of beta-carotene and vitamin A than any other variety of cabbage. Our 4-Minute Healthy Sautéed Bok Choy recipe will give you great tasting bok choy in a matter of minutes!

Red Cabbage

While green cabbage is the most commonly eaten variety of cabbage, we highly recommend trying red cabbage because of it added nutritional benefits and its robust hearty flavor.

We don't think you will be disappointed. The rich red color of red cabbage reflects it concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols, which contribute to red cabbage containing significantly more protective phytonutrients than green cabbage.

Interest in anthocyanin pigments continues to intensify because of their health benefits as dietary antioxidants, as an anti-inflammatory, and their potentially protective, preventative, and therapeutic roles in a number of human diseases.

A recent study showed that a 100 gram (about 3 ounces) serving of raw red cabbage delivers 196.5 milligrams of polyphenols, of which 28.3 milligrams are anthocyanins. Green cabbages yielded much less per 100 grams: 45 milligrams of polyphenols including 0.01 milligram of anthocyanins.

The vitamin C equivalent, a measure of antioxidant capacity, of red cabbage is also six to eight times higher than that of green cabbage. Red cabbage is one of the most nutritious and best tasting vegetables around — a great addition to your Healthiest Way of Eating.

Cabbage, red, cooked
1.00 cup
(150.00 grams)

Calories: 44
GI: very low

NutrientDRI/DV

 vitamin K79.3%

 vitamin C68.8%

 vitamin B620%

 manganese16.5%

 fiber15.6%

 potassium11.2%

 vitamin B19.1%

 folate9%

 copper8.8%

 choline7.5%

 phosphorus7%

 vitamin B26.9%

 magnesium6.3%

 calcium6.3%

 selenium6.2%

 iron5.5%

 pantothenic acid4.6%

 protein4.5%

 vitamin B33.5%

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Cabbage provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System.

Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Cabbage can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Cabbage, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

You may be able to tell from just a quick glance at a head of red cabbage that its intense purple color reveals a strong concentration of antioxidants. 

Antioxidants, disease-fighting compounds that can enhance immune system health, are just one of the several prominent health benefits you can get from regularly eating red cabbage.

Nutrition Facts

A cup of raw, shredded red cabbage has 22 calories and 1 g protein, no fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fiber and 2.5 g natural sugar. Red cabbage is more than 90 percent water. 

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, foods with high water content have especially low energy density levels, which makes them a good choice for weight loss and weight maintenance.

Vitamins

Red cabbage is also a rich source of essential vitamins and minerals. A cup of cooked red cabbage will satisfy 85 percent of your daily vitamin C requirements and about 20 percent of your daily vitamin A requirements. 

Those vitamins are antioxidants, powerful natural chemicals that can help reduce your risk of cancer, diabetes, bone loss, stroke, heart attack and kidney stones.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants neutralize free radicals in the body, which can cause cell damage and make you more susceptible to serious diseases. 

In a 2007 study published in the journal “Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine,” researchers found that red cabbage was one effective treatment for diabetes in rats; more research is necessary to see if the same effect would apply to humans. 

“[Vegetables] with the highest antioxidant content include red cabbage,” states Hensrud. Even if you cook red cabbage, you can still get those disease-fighting benefits. “Cooking generally increased levels [of antioxidants] among select vegetables,” he adds. The color of red cabbage is a giveaway as to what’s inside -- other antioxidant-rich foods include red grapes, dark berries and plums.