Cauliflowers: Nutritional Facts & Health benefits

Cauliflowers are cruciferous & extremely healthy vegetable. Nutritional profile of Cauliflower is quite impressive as it contains almost every vitamin and mineral and low in calories. From recent years, this vegetable is reputably used in culinary. Specially as a “rice alternative” it may be served as “steaks” or center stage in roasts.

You can easily add this in your diet in any form like raw, steamed, pureed, grated, roasted or mashed. Even you can use its nutritious stem, which you can pulse in a food processor and can use as a base for vegetable soups etc.

Cauliflower Nutrition Facts

The nutrition profile of this vegetable as provided by USDA in 1 cup (100g) serving size is discussed in detail below.

Total Calories: 25
Water content: 92.1g
Vitamin C: 48.2 mg (53.5% of the RDI)
Vitamin K: 15.5 mcg (12.91% of the RDI)
Vitamin B-6: 1.84 mg (10.82% of the RDI)
Total Choline: 44.3 mg (10.82% of the RDI)
Potassium: 299 mg (6.36% of the RDI)
Manganese: 0.155 mg (6.73% of the RDI)
Magnesium: 15 mg (3.57% of the RDI)
Total dietary Fiber: 2g (7% of the RDI)
Protein: 1.92g (3.84% of the RDI)
Carbohydrates: 1.97g (0.7% of the RDI)
Total Fat: 0.28g (0.3% of the RDI

Cauliflowers Health Benefits

There are numerous health benefits associated with cauliflowers.

1. High in Fiber

Benefits: May help in weight loss, lower risks of diabetes, Natural Prebiotic

Like other vegetables, cauliflower is also high in carbs but complex carbs which is fiber. You can go deeper in carbs types here. Its one cup will give you 7% of the daily intake. Fiber is highly beneficial specially if you are diabetic etc. because it slowly release in body, giving you feeling of fulness.

According to recent research, consuming fiber may help you prevent digestive illnesses, i.e. constipation, diverticulitis and Inflammatory Bowl Disease (IBD). But sometimes it may cause bloating. Moreover, your good gut bacteria (Probiotics) will love it because it also serve as a powerful prebiotic.

2. Rich in Antioxidants

Benefits: Lower risks of Cancer, Reduce heart diseases, reduce aging and oxidative stress.

Antioxidants protect your cells from harmful effects of free radicals and luckily like other cruciferous, cauliflower is rich in antioxidants.

According to the recent study, isothiocyanates and glucosinolates are two of antioxidants which slows down the growth of cancer cells and cauliflower contains relatively good amount of both. Apart from this flavonoid and carotenoids also present which not only reduce cancer but also prevent other harmful diseases. Other than these compound it also enriched in sulphoraphane. which has particularly studied for reducing cancer risks.

Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant and known for its anti-inflammatory properties. It may boost your immune system health and reduce risks of heart disease. Ref.

3. High amount of Choline

Benefits: reduce liver and heart diseases, lowers risks of dementia and Alzheimer.

According to the National Institute of Health, Choline is essential for your brain and Nervous system health as it require for you mood, muscle control, memory and many other functions. Choline not only helps your brain and nervous system development and producing neurotransmitters but also prevent cholesterol accumulation in the liver. Ref. Your body make choline in small amounts naturally in your liver, but mostly you have to take it by food sources.

In cauliflower, 100g serving contain 44.3mg of choline. which is 11% of Adequate Intake (AI) for women while 8% of men.

4. High in Vitamin K & B6.

Benefits: Strong bones, faster blood clotting

Vitamin K helps in construction of specialized proteins which helps calcium absorption in your body. Eventually making your bones strong. According to Harvard, Prothrombin is a protein for making blood clotting and this process is directly dependent on vitamin k. Secondly, Osteocalcin protein also need Vitamin K to make healthy bones.

Vitamin B-6 also helps in nervous system & brain development and keep them healthy.

Is Cauliflowers safe for everyone to eat?

Thyroid Absorption: People with Thyroid problems should avoid eating too much cauliflower & cabbage. As both may interfere thyroid absorption. But only large amounts intake affect it. Ref.

Blood clotting: High amount of Vitamin K can effect the persons taking blood thinners as this vitamin induce blood clotting.

Bloating and flatulence: Due to high fiber, many people can face problems like bloating and flatulence as according to source, fiber content cause bloating due to the increase in population of healthy bacteria. which make gas as a by product of fiber digestion.

Cauliflowers: Nutritional Facts & Health benefits

Cauliflower Nutrition Facts