Nutrients in Purple Cabbage

Purple cabbage has a light, refreshing taste.

Purple cabbage, more commonly known as red cabbage, is a colorful variety from the brassica family. Purple cabbage has a relatively high ratio of nutrients and vitamins to calories and fat, which makes it an ideal choice for dieters. It is common in salads, coleslaw, braised dishes and pickled treats.

Calories Purple Cabbage in Your Diet

When cabbage is cooked, it loses many of its valuable minerals and vitamins. However, the antioxidants in purple cabbage are easier for your body to absorb from a cooked state. For the best benefit, eat a mixture of raw and cooked purple cabbage. When you cook the purple cabbage, avoid boiling it, as the water will sap the nutrients from the vegetable. Sauteing purple cabbage works well for most dishes. When comparing purple cabbage to other varieties, the notable difference is the antioxidant levels. The deeper pigmentation in purple cabbage indicates a richer supply of anthocyanins, which can help lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and many other diseases.

Purple cabbage has a low caloric density compared to other foods. A 1-cup serving of chopped raw purple cabbage contains only 28 calories. The daily recommended intake, or DRI, of calories for an average, healthy adult is 2,000 calories. Consuming one serving of raw purple cabbage provides less than 1.5 percent of a typical DRI. The reason raw purple cabbage contains so few calories is its water content. The mass of purple cabbage is about 90 percent water, which does not provide calories to your body. The plant uses the water to transfer nutrients from its roots to the leaves. The moisture content results in a crunchy burst of flavor when you bite into raw cabbage.

Carbohydrates and Dietary Fiber

Purple cabbage contains notable amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fiber in comparison to its few calories. A 1-cup serving provides about 6 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of dietary fiber. An average DRI is 225 grams of carbohydrates and 28 grams of dietary fiber. One serving of purple cabbage delivers about 3 percent of your daily carbohydrates and 7 percent of your dietary fiber. This fiber becomes easier to digest in cooked cabbage.

Vitamins and Minerals

The vitamin and mineral content of raw purple cabbage is the most significant reason to consume this vegetable. A single serving of raw purple cabbage contains about 20 percent of your DRI for vitamin A, at 993 international units. It also contains around 80 percent of your DRI for vitamin C at 50.7 IU per 1-cup serving. Other vitamins and minerals in a 1-cup serving include notable levels of folate and vitamin K; 40 milligrams of calcium; 14 milligrams of magnesium; and 216 milligrams of potassium.

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/nutrients-purple-cabbage-1160.html