Cabbage Is The Nutritional Powerhouse Your Breakfast Scrambles Need

If you want to start the day on a high note — with more energy and a metabolism boost — then don't skip breakfast. But to make the most of this morning meal, reach for ingredients that contain the vitamins and minerals your body needs to properly function. Next time you're preparing an egg scramble for breakfast, don't skip the cabbage.

When you think of a classic breakfast scramble with veggies, you might think of peppers and onions or maybe some spinach, but it's worth swapping in or adding cabbage, too. There are plenty of cabbage varieties; they belong to the same family as broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and the veg is loaded with vitamins C and K. As far as macronutrients go, just 1 cup contains 22 calories, 5 grams of carbs, 1 gram of protein, and less than 1 gram of fat; it also offers 2 grams of fiber.

Nutritionally, cabbage offers more than just a few vitamins and fiber though. It also contains antioxidants as well as minerals like manganese, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Finally, this veggie is a good source of B vitamins like folate (B9) and pyridoxine (B6). All of these nutrients play different roles throughout the body, but they work together to help maintain the body's normal processes to keep you feeling your best.

Cabbage is mild in flavor but can taste a little bitter and peppery. Since you'll be cooking it quickly alongside some eggs, you should go with green cabbage; it's easy to find and easy to cook in less than 10 minutes. To balance that slight bitterness, incorporate rich or salty flavors into your breakfast scramble. Feta is a great option — crumble some of the cheese and fold it into the scramble along with the fresh cabbage. The cabbage and feta will both soften as they cook.

If you want to meal prep breakfast, prepare some egg bites or breakfast wraps instead of a daily scramble. Add eggs, cabbage, feta, and maybe some red onion and diced cherry tomatoes to a bowl. To stick with that loose Mediterranean theme, even add Kalamata olives for a salty addition to the feta. You can also go with a Southern fried cabbage theme and incorporate onions and bacon instead, or even make it cowboy style with peppers and seasonings like paprika. Just whisk your chosen ingredients together and pour the egg mixture into muffin tins before baking, and you have an on-the-go, cabbage-infused breakfast that will last all week. For some breakfast wraps, cook the cabbage and egg mixture ahead of time, pre-portion them out into wraps, then just toast the wrap in a pan or warm it up in an air fryer on the morning you eat it.