Purple cabbage appears to be a popular cabbage variety for many home gardeners. It is a nutrient dense vegetable that tastes close to green cabbage that most people are used to.
The flavonoid anthocyanin found in this variety is the one responsible for the red or purple color or pigmentation associated with purple cabbage.
I recently began developing interest in knowing more about purple cabbage. What followed was a closer look into the general benefits of purple cabbage over other cabbage varieties. I got to know what makes it tick in so many circles.
An attempt at growing this cabbage variety will follow this research on it. I feel really charged up to start growing it perhaps even more frequently than I would regular green cabbage. The good news is this variety is grown in much the same way as regular cabbage even as microgreens if you wanted to.
By the way, sometimes you hear people calling it red cabbage; well red cabbage is actually one and the same as purple cabbage! So I shall also be interchangeably using these names.
So here are some 10 wonderful benefits of red cabbage that I have gotten round to compile following my research. Hopefully, this will equally excite you to start growing this great cabbage variety if you haven’t been doing this already.
1. Purple cabbage fights inflammation
It is said inflammation is the doorway to many diseases that plague us humans. Inflammation that is harmful to the body causes your body to attack and destroy healthy tissue. Ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and bowel diseases have been linked to inflammation. Red cabbage (read, purple cabbage) has been shown to strongly fight off inflammation.
The assumption is often that you have to consume the cabbage for the benefits. Well apparently, individuals with arthritis have reportedly found relief by simply wrapping cabbage leaves on the affected area.
As an aside, if you have dogs like many home gardeners do, you may also be interested to know that red cabbage or cabbage in general can be used to treat inflammation or mastitis in canines. I wrote here about dogs eating cabbages. It is an interesting read.
2. Red cabbage has 10x more Vitamin A than green cabbage
This one really blew my mind. I had never imagined for the life of me that a simple switch from eating green cabbage to eating red cabbage would give this tremendous boost in Vitamin A.
I don’t need to go into all the benefits of Vitamin A here because many people already know these. Immune function, vision, lungs, heart, and kidney health function depend on Vitamin A.
If you suffer from frequent infections, night blindness and dry skin among other things these are common signs of Vitamin A deficiency which could be corrected by simply introducing purple cabbage in your diet.
3. Red cabbage is low in calories
Dr Ann Kulze M.D. (pictured) from the Healthy Living School has put forward that purple cabbage is as low in calories as only 28-30 calories per cup. This is just wonderful if you are looking for low calorie foods. This is one of the reasons red cabbage is recommended in weight loss diets over and above its other generous health benefits.
4. Purple cabbage is super high in nutrients
Some have suggested that red cabbage is a super food. Not sure about that. I, however, found that the vegetable has an amazing nutrient profile that is simply unmatched by other vegetables. Purple cabbage is frequently referred to as a nutrient dense vegetable for good reason. The following is the nutrient profile of red cabbage…
- Calories: 28
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbs: 7 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Vitamin C: 56% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 28% of the DV
- Thiamine: 5% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 11% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 6% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 5% of the DV
5. Purple cabbage is just awesome for gut health
As a good source of fibre, red cabbage brings some great gut health benefits to the table. One of the well known benefits to the gut is easier digestion of food. Well this may look so simple and even easily taken for granted until one runs into some real digestive problems.
Furthermore, purple cabbage has been shown to deal graciously with intestinal mucositis. This is a condition associated with lesions developing in the gut. This occurs when the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract are inflamed
Other gut issues resolved or at least relieved by eating purple cabbage include constipation and stomach ulcers.
6. Red cabbage is a powerful antioxidant
According to Cancer.gov, an antioxidant is…
A substance that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals
On the other hand, free radicals are unstable molecules that are created during metabolism. These are linked to cancer and heart disease among other health problems.
Purple cabbage comes in as a powerful antioxidant. It stops these molecules that are linked to the development of certain diseases. Red cabbage has thus been strongly thought to play an important part in the prevention of cancer.
7. Red cabbage has fountain-of-youth properties
Red cabbage is good for the skin. Earlier, I mentioned the benefits of this vegetable in fighting dry skin. Well, in its own right, purple cabbage is thought to support youthfulness by pushing back on the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the human skin.
The actual science behind it goes back to antioxidants which reduce inflammation and allow the skin to efficiently repair itself. In addition, red cabbage also has Vitamin C which is super important for skin health.
8. Red cabbage is a formidable immune booster
If you want some significant immune boost, purple cabbage is your candidate. If you consider that a cup of red cabbage brings 56% of daily value in Vitamin C to the table, you quickly appreciate what is at stake for your immunity system. This is a level 10x more than regular cabbage.
According to one study published in 2017…
Vitamin C contributes to immune defense by supporting various cellular functions of both the innate and adaptive immune system
Innate immunity is the defense system you were born with while adaptive immunity is acquired immunity. Adaptive immunity steps in when innate immunity fails or is overwhelmed. In these days of pandemics, it is just wonderful that purple cabbage is positively impactful to these two levels of immunity.
9. Increased muscle and bone strength
The 9th item in my findings that makes it worthwhile to venture into purple cabbage growing are the benefits the vegetable brings to human bone and muscle.
This benefit is embedded in Vitamin K and potassium that is found in red cabbage. Not only does Vitamin K increase bone mineral density, it also reduces fracture rates particularly in individuals with weak and brittle bones. These are also known as osteoporotic people.
10. Super easy to prepare for eating
Finally, purple cabbage is super simple to prepare. It can be eaten raw or in a salad. There is literally an over-supply of different methods of preparing red cabbage. A quick search on the internet will reveal so many of these methods. Some of my appealing recipes that use red cabbage include red cabbage coleslaw and sautéed red cabbage.
Conclusion
Thank you for taking some time to enjoy learning about these few wonderful benefits of red cabbage. I hope this has stimulated your interest in trying out growing purple cabbage as a home gardener.
