Red cabbage is part of the cruciferous vegetable family. Why do we mention cruciferous vegetables as if they were something special…because they are! They contain a type of antioxidant that no other family of vegetable has.
And what’s the big deal about that you ask. Well, scientists, like the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, have found that the antioxidants in cruciferous vegetables (by the way those antioxidants are called isothiocyanates in case you wanted to know) have been connected even more positively with lowering the risk of cancer, especially prostate cancer.
In fact their research found that a man can reduce his risk of prostate cancer 45% by eating lots of vegetables. He can reduce his risk even more so if he eats lots of cruciferous veggies.
By the way, if I have your attention now, I imagine you might be wondering what other vegetables fall into the spectacular family of cruciferous vegetables. Now that you know the wonderful health benefits associated with red cabbage and his relatives, I am sure you will want to eat as many as possible. Well here you go: arugula, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages of all kinds, cauliflower, kale, turnips, kohlrabi, collard greens and turnip greens. Now eat up!
Personally, we eat lots of red cabbage because we think it is beautiful. But in addition to the wonderful antioxidants, this deep purple and magenta vegetable is also full of vitamin C. It supplies nearly two times as much as its green cousins. All cabbage is also a good source of insoluble fiber (the kind that helps to prevent constipation and reduce your risk of colorectal diseases like cancer.)
Another reason I love cabbage is because it stores well. I have kept it in the frig for a couple weeks before using it and have found it to be perfectly fine for preparing a nice red cabbage cole slaw. Now that your mouth is watering for some nice red cabbage let me share with you our favorite cole slaw recipe...
