Broccoli vs Red Cabbage – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

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

Why?

Both are certainly great! Which is usual for any Brassica oleracea cultivar (as both of these vegetables are). But there is a clear winner:

In terms of macros, broccoli has more fiber and protein, while red cabbage has more carbs. Now, nobody is getting metabolic disease from eating cabbage, but by the numbers, this is a simple win for broccoli, especially on account of the fiber.

In the category of vitamins, broccoli has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, C, E, and K, while red cabbage has more of vitamins A and B6, yielding a tidy 7:2 win to broccoli.

Looking at minerals, it’s a similar story: broccoli has more copper, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while red cabbage has more iron and manganese. They’re equal in calcium, by the way, so that’s a 6:2 win for broccoli here.

In other considerations, both are good for polyphenols, but broccoli has more in total, as well as more variety, so yet another win for broccoli here, even before taking into account sulforaphane content (see the “learn more” section below).

Now, standing next to broccoli has made red cabbage look bad, but we want to assure you that red cabbage is itself a nutritional powerhouse—broccoli is just even more so.

So of course and as ever, by all means do enjoy either or both; diversity is best!

Want to learn more?

You might like:

Broccoli Sprouts & Sulforaphane

Enjoy!