Most everyone has eaten red cabbage or green cabbage at some point in their life (even if you had to sit at the table until you ate it, like I did!). But did you know that they are different? I didn’t. And I’m not just talking about the color.

Red cabbage, or sometimes called purple cabbage, is a cruciferous vegetable that can be eaten raw or lightly cooked. The difference in color comes from how acidic the soil is that it’s grown in. The more red it is, the more acidic the soil. The more purple it is, the more neutral the soil. Check out these top 5 incredible benefits our bodies receive from Red Cabbage.

5 Top Benefits From Red Cabbage

1. Red cabbage provides almost twice as much of the oh-so-important Vitamin C than green cabbage which helps boost our immune system. In fact, red cabbage has more Vitamin C than oranges!
2. It also contains inflammation-fighting phytonutrients which helps to prevent and naturally treat joint pain or arthritis.
3. Red cabbage is rich in Vitamin K which helps stop or delay bone loss in osteoporosis. For women over 40, the bone-mass is rapidly reduced at menopause. Weight bearing exercise can also help maintain and even increase bone-mass.
4. The naturally occurring antioxidants found in anthocyanins in red cabbage may prevent or even reverse chronic degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, ALS and others.
5. Last but not least, red cabbage promotes a healthy gut providing the much needed probiotics that our digestive systems crave. Previously kimchi, the Korean fermented food, is made with green cabbage. But recently we are seeing more and more kimchi made from red or purple cabbage. In addition to probiotics, red cabbage provides insoluble fiber which is known to prevent constipation, lower the risk of developing diverticulitis and may help relieve the symptoms of some gastrointestinal conditions, such as IBS.

I wasn’t much of a fan of raw red cabbage when I was younger, but in the recipe below, the cabbage is sauteed with cranberries, honey, almonds, red onion and feta cheese to make this a quick and delicious side dish to pair with chicken parmesan, or my cauliflower crust pizza or one of your favorite go to main dishes.

Quick Red Cabbage Salad with Cranberries, Feta & Almond  Recipe

Makes 4 Servings                               Prep Time: 10 min.                           Cooking Time: 10 min.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced or 3/4 of a medium red onion
• 1/2 head of red cabbage, quartered and thinly shredded
• 1 large clove of garlic, diced
• 3-4 Tablespoons dried cranberries (unsweetened if possible or low in sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds or slivers
• 3-4 mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium heat.
2. Add onions to the pan and cook about 2 minutes, stirring a few times.
3. Then add cabbage, garlic, and cranberries to the pan and season with salt, cumin seed and drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Cook for 3 minutes while stirring a few times.
4. Drizzle the honey and sesame oil over the top and cook another 5 minutes, continuing to stir.
5. Stir in half the almonds and turn the heat off.
6. Pour cabbage mixture into a bowl and top with feta cheese, the rest of the almonds and mint.
7. Serve as a side dish with your favorite protein (like I have above) or you can add your protein on top to make it a meal.
8. Bon Appetit!