Detox
Cabbage
An inexpensive cruciferous vegetable that's also the base ingredient for fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi.
Gut Health
Detox
Immunity
Serving
1 cup, chopped, raw (89g)
Calories Per Serving
22
Key nutrients
Vitamin C, vitamin K, glucosinolates, fiber
Nutrient density
420
Why it’s worth eating
Cabbage is rich in vitamin C, K, fiber, and antioxidants. It promotes gut health and is anti-inflammatory. Use cabbage in salads, slaws, or fermented as sauerkraut or kimchi.
What you may notice
Digestive comfort
Skin clarity
Markers worth tracking
Vitamin K and INR status
Liver enzyme panel
How to eat it
Eat raw or lightly cooked for the most vitamin C; or ferment it into sauerkraut to add probiotics to the same vegetable.
Pairs well with
Healthy fats, aids absorption of the fat-soluble vitamin K
Vinegar or lemon, common pairings that also add vitamin C
Storage
Refrigerate whole heads wrapped loosely; they keep for several weeks, longer than most leafy vegetables.
The numbers, per 1 cup, chopped, raw (89g)
56%
Vitamin K
0%
Vitamin A
36%
Vitamin C
3%
Calcium
2%
Iron
3%
Magnesium
3%
Potassium
0%
Vitamin B12
0%
Vitamin D
Fiber
2.2g
Cabbage, raw (FDC 169975)
Evidence
D
HONEST FLAG: the historical cabbage-juice ulcer work is a curiosity, not evidence. It used historical literature controls rather than a concurrent randomized group, tiny samples, and pre-dated the discovery of H. pylori as the primary ulcer cause.
Study dose vs. serving
Reported duodenal crater healing in 10.4 days versus 37 days "as reported in the literature" - not a controlled comparison. Fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) is the more defensible modern angle.
Cheney G. California Medicine. 1949;70(1):10-15. 13 peptic-ulcer patients drinking about 1 L/day fresh cabbage juice, compared against historical literature controls.
Use caution if
You take warfarin or other blood thinners, keep intake consistent given the vitamin K content
You have IBS or are FODMAP-sensitive, raw cabbage is a common trigger for bloating
Details
Type
Fruits & Veg
Season
Autumn-winter, very cold-hardy
Forms
Fresh, fermented (sauerkraut), pre-shredded
Price
Budget
Bioactive
Sinigrin and glucobrassicin; red cabbage additionally rich in anthocyanins
Heat stable
No - myrosinase is heat-inactivated. Chop raw and rest, steam lightly rather than boil, or add raw mustard or daikon powder to cooked crucifers to restore conversion.
Reliability
3 / 5
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