What’s purple cabbage?
Purple cabbage belongs to the brassica group of greens, together with brussels sprouts and kale. It has a peppery style and crunch when eaten uncooked, however turns into sweeter and softer when cooked.
Purple cabbage is grown within the UK and is in season from September to December. Because the plant grows, it varieties tight balls of leaves within the centre surrounded by a lot bigger green-purple leaves. When the purple cabbage is prepared for harvesting, the entire plant is picked and the outer leaves discarded, leaving simply the cabbage head – the half we eat.
Uncover our full vary of well being profit guides or try a few of our finest purple cabbage recipes, from conventional methods to serve it – similar to our cider-braised cabbage wedges – to new twists on this in style vegetable, like our purple cabbage & pickled chilli slaw.
Dietary advantages of purple cabbage
An 80g portion (boiled) offers:
- 12kcal / 49kj
- 0.6g protein
- 0.2g fats
- 1.8g carbohydrate
- 1.8g fibre
- 104mg potassium
- 25mcg folate
- 26mg vitamin C
Simply 80g of purple cabbage counts as one portion of your five-a-day. Uncover extra with our five-a-day infographic.
Conventional braised purple cabbage recipes typically mix the peppery flavours of cabbage with sweeter elements like apples, sugar, cider, port or wine. Calmly braising cabbage helps launch useful carotenoids, including complete fruit like apples naturally sweetens the dish, however bear in mind that while you add elements like sugar or sure kinds of alcohol you’ll be growing free sugars, the kind we’re suggested to chop again on.
Prime 5 well being advantages of purple cabbage
1. Wealthy in antioxidants
Anthocyanins give purple-coloured fruit and veggies, together with purple cabbage, their stunning color. They’ve protecting antioxidant properties and in consequence, there’s loads of analysis evaluating simply how these compounds profit our well being. For instance, there are rising hyperlinks between the usage of dietary anthocyanins to assist enhance weight problems and obesity-related ailments, similar to type-2 diabetes.
Brassica greens are particularly wealthy in anthocyanins in addition to different antioxidant vitamins like nutritional vitamins C, E and the carotenoids.
2. Could help coronary heart well being
A 2019 research signifies rising proof that anthocyanins play a constructive position in cardiovascular well being and that those that eat meals wealthy in them (like purple cabbage) have a decrease threat of coronary heart assaults and heart-disease-related loss of life.
3. Could assist combat irritation
A key part of brassica greens like purple cabbage is a phytochemical often called sulforaphane. Animal research report that sulforaphane could also be accountable for the anti-inflammatory properties of those greens.
4. Include anti-cancer compounds
Whereas there are not any ‘superfoods’ that may stop most cancers – and sure threat components for most cancers are unrelated to weight loss program – there’s proof that consuming a nutritious diet can scale back your most cancers threat. Being wealthy in compounds like sulforaphane and anthocyanins places purple cabbage in a robust place if you happen to’re contemplating a brassica vegetable so as to add to your weight loss program. That’s as a result of these useful compounds seem to stop oxidative injury and probably act in protecting method in opposition to most cancers, together with colorectal most cancers.
5. Could help intestine well being
Together with purple cabbage in your weight loss program might help intestine wellness. It’s supply of fibre, together with the insoluble selection which promotes regularity. The fibre in cabbage can also be a prebiotic, which suggests it’s the kind of fibre that acts as a gasoline supply for the useful micro organism that dwell within the intestine. Compounds in purple cabbage referred to as isothiocyanates seem like significantly useful as a result of they encourage the intestine micro organism to supply short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) – helpful compounds which have a far-reaching affect on our intestine and wider well being.
Is purple cabbage protected for everybody?
Though protected for many, it’s attainable to be allergic to cabbage due to cross reactivity or ‘pollen meals syndrome’, which additionally consists of vegetation similar to aubergine, beetroot, celery and peppers. A light response might embrace signs similar to itching mouth or tongue, sneezing or a runny nostril. In case you expertise these signs after consuming cabbage, converse to your GP. If a extra critical allergic response happens, name for an ambulance instantly.
Learn extra from the NHS about allergic reactions.
If in case you have a thyroid challenge, you could be suggested to minimise the quantity of brassica greens you eat. It is because these greens might intrude with the absorption of iodine, which is required for the manufacturing of thyroid hormones. Nevertheless, it’s price making an allowance for that you’d must eat an affordable quantity on a constant foundation for this to be a problem.
Cabbage is a high-fibre meals, which for many of us is extremely useful – it helps the digestive course of and offers a gasoline supply for the wholesome micro organism that reside in our intestine. Nevertheless, for some individuals, high-fibre meals might trigger bloating and fuel. That is particularly related for these with inflammatory bowel illness (IBD), Crohn’s illness or ulcerative colitis.
If you’re on blood-thinning treatment similar to warfarin, your GP or registered dietitian might recommend you monitor the vitamin Okay meals (like cabbage) in your weight loss program to make sure you eat comparable quantities constantly. If unsure, seek the advice of your GP earlier than making any vital modifications to what and the way a lot you eat.
Methods to purchase the very best purple cabbage
Ideally, purchase purple cabbage when it’s in season within the UK, within the autumn months. It ought to be heavy and agency and there ought to be little injury to the outer leaves. It’s okay if there’s a little tear or mark, as usually the primary few outer leaves are thrown away earlier than consuming, however don’t purchase any purple cabbage that has giant cuts in it, is black or going mouldy or soggy.
Wholesome purple cabbage recipes
Uncover our top-rated wholesome purple cabbage recipes in our assortment.
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This text was reviewed on 15 October 2021 by Kerry Torrens.
Nicola Shubrook is a dietary therapist and works with each personal purchasers and the company sector. She is an accredited member of the British Affiliation for Diet and Life-style Drugs (BANT) and the Complementary & Pure Healthcare Council (CNHC). Discover out extra at urbanwellness.co.uk.
All well being content material on bbcgoodfood.com is supplied for common info solely, and shouldn’t be handled as an alternative to the medical recommendation of your personal physician or every other healthcare skilled. If in case you have any considerations about your common well being, it’s best to contact your native healthcare supplier. See our web site phrases and circumstances for extra info.
