Superfood: Red Cabbage

Red cabbage is one powerfully healthy vegetable. Like other red/purple fruits and veggies, red cabbage contains anthocyanin flavonoids which have demonstrated antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and cardioprotective benefits. It contains 36 different types of anthocyanin, to be exact. Anthocyanins also appear to favorably affect fat cell function, which may help combat metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. In addition, red cabbage contains precursors to indole-3-carbinol and sulphoraphane, which may modulate cellular signaling pathways to decrease the risk of cancer.

I often point out bags of pre-shredded red cabbage on my grocery tours as one great pick in the produce section; it’s inexpensive and a snap to use. You don’t even need to cook it. Here are two super-simple salads made with pre-shredded cabbage. Especially with the onslaught of heavy meals and holiday fare this season, I find myself craving some simple, clean, lighter options to balance it all out. A crunchy cabbage salad also makes a nice neighbor on your plate for leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!

Val’s Cabbage Salad

The simplest salad in the world is also my husband’s favorite. Lucky me, because it takes just seconds to toss together, especially if you buy pre-shredded cabbage.

1 cup shredded red cabbage

2 tsp vinegar (white, red wine, or cider)

1 tsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything in a bowl and mix. Crunch away.

Serves 1. Nutrition Facts: 64 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 5 g carbohydrate (1 g fiber), 1 g protein.

Georgie’s Cabbage & Gala Apple Salad

While still pretty simple, I like my cabbage salad with the added crunch and sweetness of apple, and a bottled dressing. And of course, mine’s prettier.

1 cup shredded red cabbage

2 T Maple Grove Farms of Vermont Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette (or other dressing of your choice)

1 small gala apple, sliced thin

Place cabbage on plate with apple slices on top. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts: 104 calories, 0 g fat, 27 g carbohydrate, (5 g fiber), 1 g protein.

Sources:

C.S. Charron, B.A. Clevidence, S.J. Britz, J.A. Novotny. Effect of Dose Size on Bioavailability of Acylated and Nonacylated anthocyanins from red cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. Var. capitata). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol 55:13, Pg 5354-5362, 2008.

Tsuda T. Regulation of Adipocyte Function by Anthocyanins; Possibility of Preventing the Metabolic Syndrome. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol 56:3, Pages 642-646, 2008.