Which is healthier: Cabbage or kale?

Keen to see how cabbage and kale measure up? Dietitian Juliette Kellow compares these two greens to see which is better.

Cabbage

There’s a good variety of nutrients in green cabbage. An 80g serving – one of our five-a-day – provides around a tenth of our daily fibre and iron, 18% of our needs for folate (a B vitamin that’s especially important when trying to conceive and in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifada), and almost half the amount of vitamin C we need each day.

Kale

Kale is a powerhouse, and packs in much higher levels of most nutrients than green cabbage – it provides around half our daily needs for vitamin A and folate, and all our vitamin C requirements. It’s also one of the richest food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin – it has 81 times more than savoy cabbage. These two antioxidants are vital for healthy eyes and help protect against age-related macular degeneration.

And the winner?

Kale. Both greens contribute to our five-a-day and add bulk to our meals, and cabbage can help to boost intakes of many vitamins and minerals. But kale takes nutrient levels to new heights, explaining why it’s often referred to as a ‘superfood’.

Cooking with kale

We’ve rounded up healthy kale recipes you might like to try:

• Roasted pork with warm kimchi and kale salad
• Bok choy and kale dumplings
• Kale and mushroom rice bowl
• Kale, vege and pumpkin seed slice
• Kale and mushroom stir-fry