● Food Intelligence · Vegetable

Cabbage Glycemic Index and Calculate Your Own Glucose Response

Across 24,307 logged cabbage meals, members averaged +30.5 mg/dL — but the leaf itself is GI=10, GL=0. The signal is what's on the plate alongside it: light-carb meals held at +26.6 mg/dL, while stir-fries with rice or noodles pushed the average peak to +40.2 mg/dL — a 39% jump driven by the starch, not the cabbage.

GS
Reviewed by Grace Shryack
Signos Proprietary Data·Updated May 02, 2026·10 min read

● Powered by Signos cohort dataHigh confidence · n=24,307
The swap calculator below draws on 24,307 matched-pair logs — a broader cohort than the page's single-item primary, used to give every ingredient swap statistical power. Welch's t-test on matched pairs, not third-party glycemic-index tables. Each swap shows its sample size and confidence tier inline.
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Tap any ingredient below to swap it for a glucose-friendlier alternative. Your Signos Glucose Score, predicted curve, and nutrition update in real-time. Every swap is data-backed by real CGM response measurements.

Ingredients — Tap to Swap
Meal Context
Pre-meal sequence
Activity after meal
Time of day
41
of 100
Signos Glucose Score
Moderate Spike Risk
75% of members fall between +25 and +35 mg/dL
Predicted Curve · 3-hr window
1401001201401601800m30m60m90m120m150m180m+30
Peak
+30
mg/dL
Time in Range
100%
3hr window
Above 140
0m
danger zone
Swaps
0
applied
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● Key Findings · Does cabbage spike blood sugar?

Barely — cabbage is GI=10, GL=0, and across 24,307 logs averaged +30.5 mg/dL, with the spike driven almost entirely by what's on the plate alongside it. Across 24,307 logged cabbage meals from 6,561 unique members, the average glucose peak was +30.5 mg/dL with a median of +26 mg/dL. Cabbage itself is among the lowest-glycemic foods measured — published GI of 10, GL of 0. The cohort number reflects everything cabbage gets eaten with: stir-fries with rice averaged +40.2 mg/dL (+11 mg/dL over plain cabbage), tacos and wraps ran +6 mg/dL above baseline, and very-heavy-carb meals (110g+) reached +43.5 mg/dL — 64% above light-carb logs. Sauerkraut and kimchi were the lowest-spike forms in the dataset, both running 1.8–2.5 mg/dL below the green-cabbage anchor.

  • ▸Carb load dwarfs every other modifier: meals with ≥60g carbs alongside cabbage peaked 55% higher than the low-carb baseline (CI: +13.99 to +15.45 mg/dL, n=3,787 vs. n=16,213, p<0.001).
  • ▸Stir-fries are the worst pairing: cabbage in rice or noodle stir-fries averaged +40.2 mg/dL — a +11 mg/dL jump over plain cabbage across 2,703 logs.
  • ▸Fermentation favors lower spikes: sauerkraut (n=477) averaged +26.4 mg/dL and kimchi (n=1,774) averaged +30.5 mg/dL — both at or below the green-cabbage baseline of +29.1 mg/dL.
  • ▸Morning timing lowers the response: cabbage logged before 10 am averaged 19.2% lower peaks (CI: −6.82 to −5.16 mg/dL, n=1,696, p<0.001) than meals later in the day.
● Signos Rules

Three citable insights from this recipe's data

Rule 1
"The Carb-Load Penalty"
+55% peak
When cabbage appears in a meal with ≥60g of carbs, the glucose peak jumps 55% above the low-carb baseline — the single largest modifier in the dataset (n=3,787, p<0.001). Cabbage itself adds essentially zero fast-digest carbs (GI=10, GL=0); every extra mg/dL comes from the rice, bread, or pasta alongside it. Stir-fries (+11 mg/dL) and sandwiches/hot dogs (+7 mg/dL) are the worst offenders in the carb-pair slot.
Rule 2
"The Fermentation Edge"
−1.8 to −2.5 mg/dL
Sauerkraut and kimchi are the two lowest-spike cabbage forms in the dataset — sauerkraut at +26.4 mg/dL across 477 logs, kimchi at +30.5 mg/dL across 1,774 logs. Both run at or below the green-cabbage anchor of +29.1 mg/dL, with the fermentation-derived organic acids likely slowing gastric emptying. Treat the directional ranking as confirmed; absolute deltas are modest.
Rule 3
"The Morning Edge"
−19% peak
Cabbage logged before 10 am averages 19% lower glucose peaks than the same food logged later in the day (n=1,696 morning logs vs. n=19,987 non-morning, p<0.001). Breakfast cabbage meals averaged +26.1 mg/dL — the lowest of any meal-time slot — compared to +31.6 mg/dL for dinner and +37.9 mg/dL for night snacks. Earlier insulin sensitivity likely drives the gap, though the effect is observational.
● Curious about your own?

Curious how your body responds to cabbage specifically?

Across 24,307 logged cabbage meals, the average glucose peak was +30.5 mg/dL — but the IQR spans 25 mg/dL (p25: +16, p75: +41), meaning individual responses vary enormously. Your own result depends on meal context, fermentation, and metabolic state. A CGM tells you which side of that range you actually land on.

Learn how Signos works
Why this meal spikes

This meal stacks 3 independent spike drivers — together they account for +29 mg/dL.

Driver 1
Meal-level carbohydrates (~60g+ when paired)
+15 mg/dL
The dominant lever: meals with ≥60g carbs ran 55% higher than low-carb logs (CI: +13.99 to +15.45 mg/dL, p<0.001, n=3,787 vs. n=16,213). Cabbage itself is GI=10, GL=0, so this effect is entirely from what it's eaten with — usually rice, noodles, or bread.
Driver 2
High-sugar pairings (≥20g sugar)
+9 mg/dL
Meals with ≥20g sugar alongside cabbage spiked 33.7% higher than the low-sugar baseline (CI: +8.73 to +10.31 mg/dL, n=3,053, p<0.001). Sweet coleslaw dressings and teriyaki-style stir-fry sauces are common contributors.
Driver 3
Individual glucose variability (IQR 25 mg/dL)
+7 mg/dL
The interquartile range spans 25 mg/dL (p25: +16, p75: +41 mg/dL), meaning personal metabolic state — insulin sensitivity, microbiome, stress — accounts for a substantial portion of any given reading.
● Which bucket are you in?

Some members spike +26.6 mg/dL. Others spike +43.5. The only way to know how you'll spike is to measure with a Signos CGM.

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● What surprised us
What surprised us about cabbage is just how clean a baseline it is — and how completely the surrounding meal hijacks the reading. Cabbage's published GI is 10 and its GL is 0; the leaf itself contributes essentially nothing to a glucose curve. But across 24,307 cohort logs, the average peak was +30.5 mg/dL, because cabbage rarely shows up alone. Stir-fries with rice ran +40.2 mg/dL. Very-heavy-carb meals reached +43.5 mg/dL. Meanwhile, sauerkraut and kimchi — both fermented — sat at the bottom of the form ranking. Cabbage is the cleanest cruciferous canvas; what you paint on it does all the work.
— Signos Data Science Team

Why this happens, physiologically

Cabbage is a near-zero-glycemic food — published GI of 10, GL of 0 — so its cohort baseline of +30.5 mg/dL across 24,307 logs is driven almost entirely by what surrounds it on the plate. The single biggest lever measured in the full cohort is total meal carb load: meals with ≥60g of carbs ran 55% higher than the low-carb baseline (p<0.001, CI: +13.99 to +15.45 mg/dL), and the carb-bucket analysis shows a near-linear escalation from +26.6 mg/dL in light (0–40g carb) meals all the way to +43.5 mg/dL in very-heavy (110g+) meals — a 64% jump. Two secondary levers pull in the opposite direction: fat pairings (≥15g) trimmed the response by ~5% and high protein pairings (≥15g) by ~4%, both significant at conventional thresholds. The mechanism is observational, not yet causal, but the pattern is consistent with fat and protein slowing gastric emptying and blunting the glycemic excursion from any co-ingested carbs.

● Three mechanisms explain cabbage's glucose range

Meal carb load, fermentation, and meal timing each drive measurable shifts in cabbage's glucose response

  1. Mechanism 1
    +55%
    High carb co-load
    Meals logged with ≥60g total carbs showed peaks 55% above the low-carb baseline (n=3,787, p<0.001). Cabbage itself adds almost no carbs (GI=10, GL=0) — every point of that 55% comes from what it's eaten with.
  2. Mechanism 2
    −2.5 mg/dL
    Fermentation buffer
    Sauerkraut averaged +26.4 mg/dL across 477 logs, the lowest form-slot value measured. Lactic-acid fermentation is associated with slowed gastric emptying and improved insulin response in feeding studies, consistent with the cohort signal.
  3. Mechanism 3
    −19%
    Morning timing
    Cabbage logged before 10 am averaged 19.2% lower peaks (CI: −6.82 to −5.16 mg/dL, n=1,696, p<0.001) than meals later in the day. Higher morning insulin sensitivity is the probable driver — observational, but the effect is highly significant.
● Fit Check
Cabbage is a low-GI, low-GL leaf that works well for glucose control — until the rice, bread, or noodles around it don't.
✓ This is for you if
  • ▸You eat cabbage as a side or salad base. Light-carb cabbage meals (0–40g) averaged just +26.6 mg/dL across 16,213 logs.
  • ▸You reach for sauerkraut or kimchi. Both fermented forms ran below the green-cabbage anchor — sauerkraut at +26.4 mg/dL (n=477) and kimchi at +30.5 mg/dL (n=1,774).
  • ▸You log cabbage at breakfast or in the morning. Cabbage meals before 10 am averaged 19% lower peaks (n=1,696, p<0.001) than later in the day.
  • ▸You pair cabbage with protein or fat. Protein pairings (≥15g) cut the peak by 3.6% (n=20,075); fat pairings (≥15g) trimmed it by 4.7% (n=16,703).
✗ Not for you if
  • ▸You stir-fry cabbage with rice or noodles. That pairing added +11 mg/dL over plain cabbage across 2,703 matched logs — the single biggest carb-pairing penalty measured.
  • ▸You load cabbage onto a high-carb meal (110g+ carbs). Very-heavy-carb meals with cabbage average +43.5 mg/dL — 64% above the light-carb baseline of +26.6 mg/dL.
  • ▸You use sweet coleslaw dressings or teriyaki sauces. High-sugar pairings (≥20g) ran 33.7% above the low-sugar baseline (n=3,053, p<0.001).
  • ▸You eat cabbage rolls or stuffed cabbage with rice filling. Soup/stew/roll pairings averaged +34.3 mg/dL — a +5 mg/dL delta from the rice inside the wrap.
● How it fits your day

Calorie band and pairings (member-measured)

Per serving
20–520 kcal
Ranges from a raw-cabbage side (~20 kcal) to a full stir-fry (~520 kcal); single-item logs averaged 250 kcal.
● Pair before
  • ▸Choose sauerkraut or kimchi when fermented forms work for the meal — both ran 1.8 to 2.5 mg/dL below the green-cabbage anchor (n=477 and n=1,774).
  • ▸Keep total meal carbs under 40g: light-carb cabbage meals averaged +26.6 mg/dL vs. +43.5 mg/dL in the 110g+ carb bucket — a 64% escalation.
● Pair after
  • ▸Time a 15–20 min walk after high-carb cabbage meals (e.g. stir-fries or stuffed-cabbage with rice), which averaged +40.2 mg/dL — the highest pairing spike in the cohort.
  • ▸If dinner is cabbage-heavy, note that night snacks averaged +37.9 mg/dL vs. breakfast at +26.1 mg/dL — favor morning or daytime timing when possible.
● Avoid pairing
  • ▸Avoid stir-fries with rice or noodles plus cabbage: that pairing added +11 mg/dL over the cabbage-alone baseline (treatment mean +40.2 mg/dL, n=2,703).
  • ▸Avoid sweet-dressed coleslaw and teriyaki sauces — high-sugar (≥20g) pairings raised peaks 33.7% above the low-sugar baseline (CI: +8.73 to +10.31, n=3,053).
● Quick definitions (click to expand)
mg/dL — milligrams per deciliter. The unit blood glucose is measured in. A rise of "+30 mg/dL above baseline" means blood sugar went up 30 units after the meal.
Glycemic Index (GI) — a 0–100 score for how fast a food raises blood sugar in lab tests. Under 55 = low, 56–69 = medium, 70+ = high.
Glycemic Load (GL) — GI adjusted for portion size. Under 10 = low, 10–19 = medium, 20+ = high.
CGM — Continuous Glucose Monitor. A wearable sensor that tracks blood glucose every few minutes. Signos members wear CGMs while eating meals they log.
● Related Foods: How cabbage's glucose response compares to other cruciferous and leafy vegetables
Broccoli Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Broccoli is a fellow cruciferous and a close low-spike peer to cabbage — see how stir-fry and rice pairings shift its response.
Brussels Sprouts Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Brussels sprouts share cabbage's fiber profile and low-GL footprint — see how roasting and bacon pairings affect their cohort numbers.
Cauliflower Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Cauliflower is the lowest-spike cruciferous when used as a rice or pizza-crust swap — a useful comparison for cabbage stir-fries.
Kale Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Kale is the leafiest peer to green cabbage — comparable GI and GL, with similar dressing-driven spike patterns.
Lettuce Glycemic Index & Glucose Score
Lettuce is the lowest-glycemic salad base in the dataset — see how taco-shell and dressing pairings shift its cohort response.
Track Your Cabbage Response with Signos →
See how your glucose reacts to cabbage in a stir-fry vs. as kimchi or coleslaw — CGM data, personalized to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Methodology

This page draws on 24,307 cabbage meals from 6,561 unique Signos members, collected through the Signos production CGM platform. Data were filtered to postprandial glucose responses (PPGR) between 0 and 100 mg/dL to exclude sensor artifacts and implausible readings. Modifier effects were estimated using Welch's t-test on matched pairs against a defined baseline; all reported effects carry p<0.001 unless noted. We report mean glucose peak across a right-skewed distribution — the median spike of +26 mg/dL is a few mg/dL lower than the mean of +30.5 mg/dL, which is typical for this type of data. The food was identified in member logs using a regex that matched "cabbage" as a primary ingredient (plus sauerkraut and kimchi as form variants), excluding compound dishes where cabbage was a minor named component. Any carb-pair pairing slot requires at least 100 matched meals before it appears in the recipe builder.

Limitations

  • Self-reported portion sizes introduce measurement error — a logged "1 cup" of cabbage may vary significantly in actual weight, affecting the accuracy of per-serving spike estimates.
  • Cohort skews health-motivated; Signos members actively tracking glucose tend to eat more mindfully than the general population, so real-world average spikes may differ.
  • The savoy cabbage form sub-cohort is small (n=250) and carries medium confidence — its reported delta of +3.5 mg/dL vs. green should be treated as directional only, not statistically firm.
  • The sandwich/hot-dog (kraut) carb-pair sub-cohort has medium confidence (n=263); treat its +7 mg/dL delta as a directional estimate pending a larger sample.
  • Modifier analyses reflect meal-level correlations, not controlled feeding trials — causality cannot be established from observational CGM data alone.
  • Members under-report unlogged sides — "cabbage alone" cohort means may include unannotated rice or bread on the plate, which is one reason the calculator anchors a GL=0 food at the published reference rather than the cohort mean.
● Get your own data

See your own cabbage response

Across 24,307 logged cabbage meals, the average glucose peak was +30.5 mg/dL — but the IQR spans 25 mg/dL, meaning your personal response could land well above or below that. What you pair with cabbage matters enormously: a stir-fry adds +11 mg/dL, while sauerkraut or kimchi run below the green-cabbage baseline. A CGM shows you exactly where you land and which builds work best for your biology.

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