Red cabbage is a colorful, versatile, and nutritious veggie commonly used in salads, coleslaws, and several other dishes. This question often arises regarding low-carb diets: “Does red cabbage have carbs?” Yes, red cabbage does contain carbs.
The carbs in red cabbage are mainly complex. These complex carbs are broken down slowly, thus releasing energy more slowly and sustainably to the body.
How many carbohydrates does red cabbage have?
The amount of carbohydrates in red cabbage depends on the serving size.
According to the USDA, 1 cup of chopped raw red cabbage contains 4.7 g of net carbs, while a cup of shredded red cabbage provides 3.7 g.
What about cooked red cabbage? As per the USDA, 1 cup of shredded, boiled cabbage provides about 6.4 grams of net carbs because a cup of boiled cabbage is heavier since it loses some water and shrinks during cooking.
Can I eat red cabbage on keto?
It is a known fact that eating vegetables is healthy. But are cabbage’s carbohydrates acceptable for a ketogenic diet?
While you’ve undoubtedly heard that starchy vegetables should be avoided when following a ketogenic diet, you still have many low-carb options, and cabbage is one of them.
When it comes to whether red cabbage is keto-friendly or not, red cabbage is suitable for keto because it has low carbs.
On the keto diet, red cabbage is a low-carb vegetable that you can eat a lot of. This vegetable can be roasted and eaten with a protein, spiralized into noodles, stir-fried into Asian-inspired recipes, combined with ground beef, or baked.
It is worth noting that cooked red cabbage contains a higher carb count per serving, so you must be careful of its serving size.
It would be safer to be mindful of the amount you consume so you don’t exceed the 20–30 g daily net carb limits.
In addition, red cabbage has a low-fat content, so be sure to eat other foods rich in healthy fats.
Healthy fat sources should be a part of your diet because your body utilizes fat as energy when in ketosis.
How does the keto diet perform its function?
The body converts the starches consumed into sugar, which is then used by cells as an energy source.
When carbohydrates are significantly reduced, the body starts to make use of fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. Consequently, glucose levels decrease.
When the body consumes fat, it produces acids called ketones found in the blood and urine.
In this instance, the body undergoes ketosis, which is when the body creates ketones and burns fat as fuel.
In addition to producing less insulin while in ketosis, the body stores less fat.
Because it increases metabolism and decreases hunger, the keto diet may aid in weight loss. The diet may aid in managing type 2 diabetes since it can lower blood glucose levels.
Conclusion
Cabbage (and most other green, leafy vegetables) are not among the vegetables that contain excessive carbohydrates.
Providing less than 5 grams of net carbs per cup, within the daily carb limit of about 50 grams, makes cabbage a low-carb and keto-friendly food.
Many low-carb recipes, such as egg rolls, coleslaw, and keto stir-fries, can be made with cabbage.