Cabbage

Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps

An underrated vitamin C source, and the raw material for sauerkraut and kimchi.

Stage by stage

Intake (Fibrous leaf layers): Chewing breaks down its layered, fibrous leaf structure.
Stomach (Vitamin C & fibre released): Digestion releases vitamin C, fibre, and glucosinolate compounds.
Small intestine (Vitamin C absorbed): Vitamin C absorbs via the same dedicated transporter as other vitamin C sources.
Immune & digestive tissue (Immune support & fibre fermentation): Supports immune function; unabsorbed fibre feeds gut bacteria.

Timing

Raw or lightly cooked preserves more vitamin C than prolonged boiling.

Time to effect

Hours: Vitamin C blood levels rise within a couple of hours.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

In season

September to April in the northern hemisphere, March to October in the southern.

Satiety

The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 25 kcal per 100 g that is 956 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.

Environmental footprint

0.5 kg CO2e and 76 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Brassicas" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £1.4 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Vitamin C
Fiber
Vitamin K
Glucosinolates

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 25.1
Protein: 1.2g
Carbohydrate: 3.9g
of which sugars: 3.9g
Fat: 0g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 2.3g
Sodium: 15mg

Food vs. supplement

Raw cabbage provides a genuinely useful amount of vitamin C — fermenting it into sauerkraut additionally introduces live bacterial cultures, effectively turning a vitamin C source into a probiotic food as well.

Kitchen tip

Fermenting it into sauerkraut or kimchi adds live cultures on top of its existing fibre and vitamin C.

Common myth

“Cabbage isn’t a meaningful vitamin C source.” In reality: Cup for cup, raw cabbage provides a genuinely useful amount of vitamin C, often overlooked compared to citrus.