Red Acre Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) is well-known as an ingredient in cole-slaw and garden salad blends found in most supermarkets. The deep purple-red heads produce a sweet flavor and add bold color to accent salad greens and green cabbage. Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage, have received intense interest from contemporary researchers to discover their role in reducing oxidative stress and free radicals in the human body, which has been linked to premature aging, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and gastrointestinal diseases.

Do red cabbage microgreens have more nutritional value than a mature head of cabbage?

A common statement that is made about microgreens is they can have more nutrition at the tiny first leaf stage than the vegetable they produce at maturity.

One cup of chopped red cabbage (89 grams) has 2 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein, plus healthy amounts of Vitamin A, C, and K. That cup of red cabbage also carries 7 grams of carbohydrates from which 3 grams are natural occurring sugar.

Red cabbage microgreens offer a powerful punch of nutrition and have been found to have the highest concentrations of Vitamin C when compared to 25 varieties of microgreens. They are also ranked high in offering Vitamin E and K1. The claim from research evidence states that in general, microgreen can have 5 times more vitamins and carotenoids than the mature plant.

Read research results about microgreens from the USDA. 

The energy shot is in the seed

The red cabbage microgreen will not offer much added benefit of fiber, however the nutrition power of the plant is held at the seed sprouting phase. Think about the seed as if it were an embryo. When the right combination of moisture, warm air, and light are applied to the seed shell, an enormous amount of energy is required for a seed to pop out of its shell. 

So before the seed is germinated, it produces energy from stored food. After germination, the new plant leaves absorb sun and water and begin to produce its own food. Therefore the seed, stem, and first leaves are still holding the initial burst of food energy that is necessary for seed germination.

Red cabbage microgreens and sprouts are eaten at the first leaf stage, so there is an added benefit of the dense nutrition held over from germinating, and it is for this reason that sprouts and microgreens are desired by the consumer.

Red cabbage microgreens are typically eaten raw – processing and cooking raw vegetables lessens the nutritional value.