Raw cabbage is one of the lowest-sodium vegetables in the produce aisle: a full cup of chopped green cabbage delivers only about 16 milligrams of sodium, roughly 1% of the 2,300 mg daily limit. Once cabbage is boiled in salted water, fermented into kimchi, or tossed with dressing in coleslaw, that number can climb quickly. This free calculator estimates the sodium in any cabbage portion you actually eat.
Select a cabbage type, enter an amount in grams, ounces, cups, or servings, and press Calculate. You'll get total sodium, sodium per 100 g, the equivalent amount of table salt, and the percentage of the daily value. It's built for anyone tracking sodium for blood pressure management, kidney-friendly eating, or everyday nutrition awareness.
A custom mode lets you enter sodium data for a specific brand or recipe, and preset buttons cover the most common portion sizes so you can get an answer in seconds.
🥬 Cabbage Sodium Calculator
Estimate the sodium in raw, cooked, pickled, or dressed cabbage — any portion size.
1. Cabbage type
2. Amount
Enter an amount and press Calculate.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Choose the cabbage type that matches what you are eating. The dropdown includes raw green, boiled, red, savoy, napa, kimchi, and creamy coleslaw averages.
- If you have a package label or your own recipe, choose Custom and type in the sodium value in mg per 100 g.
- Enter the amount you plan to eat using grams, ounces, cups, or servings. The preset buttons are a quick shortcut.
- Press Calculate sodium. The result area shows total sodium, sodium per 100 g, salt equivalent, and percent of the daily value.
How It Works
The calculator uses a simple proportional conversion. Every food type has a sodium density expressed in milligrams per 100 grams. Your portion is converted to grams, then multiplied by that density and divided by 100:
Sodium (mg) = portion weight (g) × sodium per 100 g ÷ 100
To find the table salt equivalent, the calculator divides sodium by 1,000 (to get grams) and multiplies by 2.5, because table salt is roughly 40% sodium by weight. The daily value percentage uses the FDA reference of 2,300 mg per day.
Worked Examples
Example 1: 1 cup (89 g) of raw green cabbage at 18 mg/100 g. Sodium = 89 × 18 ÷ 100 = 16.0 mg. That is 0.04 g of salt and 0.7% of the daily value.
Example 2: 150 g of kimchi at 500 mg/100 g. Sodium = 150 × 500 ÷ 100 = 750 mg. That is 1.88 g of salt and 32.6% of the daily value.
Reference: Sodium in Common Cabbage Foods
| Food | Sodium (mg / 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Boiled green cabbage, unsalted | 10 |
| Raw napa cabbage | 9 |
| Raw green cabbage | 18 |
| Raw red cabbage | 27 |
| Raw savoy cabbage | 28 |
| Coleslaw with creamy dressing | ~150 |
| Kimchi, commercial | ~500 |
Tips & Best Practices
- Weigh cabbage before cooking when possible. Sodium values are usually based on the food as purchased, not after soaking in a brine.
- Rinsing canned or jarred kimchi can reduce surface sodium, but it will not remove all of it.
- If you are cooking cabbage at home, skip the salt in the pot and add a squeeze of lemon or vinegar instead.
- When using packaged coleslaw mix, check the dressing packet separately — it often contains far more sodium than the cabbage itself.
- For kidney diets, check with your renal dietitian because potassium and phosphorus may matter too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cabbage naturally high in sodium? No. Fresh cabbage is naturally very low in sodium, usually under 30 mg per 100 g. The sodium jumps when salt is added during processing, cooking, or dressing.
Why does the calculator show salt equivalent? Many people think in terms of salt rather than pure sodium. Since sodium is about 40% of table salt, multiplying sodium grams by 2.5 gives the salt weight.
What does 5% DV or less mean? The FDA considers foods with 5% or less of the daily value per serving to be low in sodium. Fresh cabbage easily fits that label; kimchi and ready-made coleslaw usually do not.
Can I use this for homemade sauerkraut? Yes, use the Custom option. Fermented foods vary widely by recipe and fermentation time, so the label from your recipe or a similar commercial product is your best guide.
For more authoritative data, consult the USDA FoodData Central or the FDA sodium guidance page.