Source: Eat the 80
Photo Source: Unsplash, Ria Quartz
THE “WHAT” Red cabbage is a dark purplish/red, cruciferous veggie that is tasty raw, cooked, or fermented. It’s also known as purple cabbage, red kraut, or even blue kraut (after being prepared with heat). Of the two cabbage varieties, red cabbage is a bit more peppery, smaller, and denser than green cabbage heads. The purple color comes from the pH levels of the soil in which it’s grown as well as the pigment that comes from the nutritionally valuable anthocyanins it contains.
THE “WHY” Eat the rainbow… and we don’t mean skittles! Bright + beautiful vegetable sources are known for being nutrition powerhouses. Red cabbage is one of those with a great dose of Vitamin C, making it an antioxidant-rich, immune booster. In comparison to green cabbage, red cabbage contains 10x more vitamins, cancer-fighting flavonoids, and a winning amount of antioxidants which improve eye, teeth, bone, & immune health. Research suggests that flavonoids also aid in weight loss due to the release of hormones that can metabolize fat and may suppress appetite. Red cabbage also fights inflammation and arthritis with its powerful phytonutrient content! A study published in Research in Pharmaceutical Science showed that when testing the effects of cabbage extracts on the immune response, there was a reduction in swelling. Red cabbage is also Vitamin-K rich, which is essential in maintaining bone health and preventing osteoporosis in women & men alike. Last but not least, fermented red cabbage (also known as kimchi) helps heal the gut by providing beneficial probiotics that the GI tract loves! Other gut health functionalities of kimchi include constipation relief, colorectal health promotion, cholesterol reduction, antioxidative and anti-aging properties, brain health promotion, immune promotion, and skin health promotion.
THE “HOW” As with any vegetable, some nutrition is lost upon heating, steaming, microwaving, etc. This is even more significant with red cabbage due to being an anthocyanin-rich plant. Therefore, raw uncooked cabbage will yield the most nutrition overall if you’re looking to get a nutrition-packed punch from this incredible veggie. If you decide to cook your cabbage, try using less water, lower heat, + less cooking time. All of these will help to retain the optimum benefits of the nutrients within! Enjoy cabbage raw on a fresh summer salad, braised with a savory protein source, simply steamed + salted, or fermented to receive the gut-healing nutrients from the live probiotics!
THE “80” WAY At Eat the 80, we loooove red cabbage! This yummy, nitrified veg pops up in many of our meals such as our Ginger Beef Stir Fry, Jamaican Jerk Chicken (our absolute fave meal), and Roasted Chicken with Savoy Cabbage Almondine!
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