Red Cabbage vs White Cabbage – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing red cabbage to white cabbage, we picked the red.

Why?

Perhaps you guessed this one, based on the “darker and/or more colorful foods are usually more nutritionally dense” dictum. That’s not always true, by the way, but it is a good rule of thumb and it is correct here. In the case of cabbages, each type is a nutritional powerhouse, but red does beat white:

In terms of macros, they’re quite comparable. They’re both >90% water with just enough other stuff (carbs, fiber, protein) to hold them together, and the “other stuff” in question is quite similarly proportioned in both cases. Within the carbs, even the sugar breakdown is similar. There are slight differences, but the differences are not only tiny, but also they balance out in any case. Thus, a tie in this round.

When it comes to vitamins, as you might expect, the colorful red cabbage does better with more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, and C, while white has more of vitamins B5, B9, E, and K. So, a 6:4 win for red.

In the category of minerals, it’s even more polarized; red cabbage has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. On the other hand, white contains a tiny amount more copper.

Adding up the sections shows a clear overall win for red, but do enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!

Today was one of those cases where red just makes white look bad by standing next to it, but honestly, white has lots of all those same things too, just not quite as much as red, and this writer will continue to use white when making her favorite shchi 🥬💕

Want to learn more?

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Take care!