Cabbage: The magic of food

Ritesh Bawri

27 Feb 2026 — 2 min read

You probably eat cabbage without thinking much about it. A side dish. A salad filler. Something unremarkable on the plate.

But inside your gut, cabbage is doing something remarkable.

Cabbage belongs to the Brassica family. It contains about 2.2 grams of prebiotic fiber per cup along with powerful plant compounds.

These are not broken down in your stomach. They pass through intact, arriving in your large intestine completely untouched.

And that is exactly the point.

Your large intestine is home to trillions of bacteria. Among the most beneficial are two groups called Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli.

They cannot thrive on just anything. They need specific fuel. The prebiotic fibers in cabbage are exactly that.

When these bacteria receive this fuel, they grow. They multiply. They begin to take over the landscape of your gut.

This matters more than you might expect.

As these bacteria feed on cabbage fiber, they produce something called short chain fatty acids. Think of these as chemical messengers.

The most important one, butyrate, is the primary energy source for the cells lining your colon. It strengthens the gut wall. It reduces damage from oxidative stress.

It calms inflammation. Without enough butyrate, the gut lining weakens. With it, the barrier holds firm.

The plant compounds in cabbage add another layer. Research shows that the pigments in red cabbage further feed Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli.

These then produce even more of these protective fatty acids. It becomes a self reinforcing loop.

Better bacteria. Better chemical output. A stronger gut wall.

There is another connection worth knowing. Bifidobacteria can also convert compounds in cabbage into molecules with strong anti inflammatory and cancer protective properties.

Your stomach cannot do this on its own. It needs these bacteria to unlock what cabbage is actually carrying.

One vegetable. Multiple cascading effects.

All beginning with bacteria most people have never heard of. Your gut does not need more supplements. It needs the right fuel.

Cabbage is an amazing source that quietly provides it.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain

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