18 Massive Benefits of Cauliflower for Your Health
Many diet experts encourage people to eat brightly colored foods, such as carrots, tomatoes and leafy greens to get sufficient antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Cauliflower may be one of the few non-colorful vegetables to have as many or more nutrient benefits as its richly-colored cousins. Cauliflower has a rich assortment of vitamins and minerals and well as phytonutrients and antioxidants that can inhibit the growth of free radicals.
Cauliflower is high in fiber and can promote weight loss and colon health. In addition, the fiber and other substances in cauliflower can protect the lining of the stomach and encourage the growth of healthy bacteria. In addition, cauliflower is a watery vegetable that hydrates the body. It is a great replacement for high carbohydrate foods such as rice and can be a great basis for gluten-free tortillas and pizza crusts. It is an excellent idea to include more of this food in your diet for a full array of health benefits.
1.Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Cauliflower is one of the healthiest vegetables around and is rich in a variety of vitamins and minerals. Usually, we think of leafy greens or bright red vegetables as the healthiest, but don’t let the pale color of this nutritious vegetable fool you–cauliflower is packed with nutrients. Cauliflower has 77% of your daily allowance of Vitamin C, which has been shown to prevent colds, boost immunity and improve skin health. You can get 20% of your requirements of Vitamin K, which aids in blood clotting, bone health and keeps track of calcium levels.
Cauliflower has 11% of B6 and 14% of folate–like all B vitamins, these two nutrients play a role in energy production and cell metabolism. In addition, cauliflower has high single-digit percentages of important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. It is a good idea to serve cauliflower raw or steamed so it can retain these valuable nutrients.
2. Low in Carbohydrates and Gluten-Free
Many popular diets nowadays emphasize keeping carbohydrate levels low, and in some cases, doing away with gluten-laden foods such as pastas altogether. Cauliflower can make gluten-free diets easier because it can serve as a replacement for pasta and can even be the basis for gluten-free pizza crusts. In addition, cauliflower is a low carbohydrate alternative to potatoes and rice for diets such as Keto that eschew carbohydrates in favor of fats and proteins.
A simple recipe for cauliflower “rice” can replace the familiar grain and has 9 times fewer carbohydrates than real rice. Cauliflower has 5 grams of carbohydrates per cup whereas rice has 45. In addition, cauliflower can replace chickpeas in a special hummus dip for Keto diets and can even be the basic ingredient for gluten-free tortillas. Cauliflower can help you feel full because of its fiber and water content without the carbohydrates that can create imbalance.
3. Rich in Fiber
Cauliflower is rich in fiber which can help promote weight loss and aid the digestive system. Fiber is not actually digested but goes right through the intestines and the bowels keep them in condition and help prevent constipation.
In addition, fiber can make your stomach feel fuller to prevent binge eating that can lead to weight gain. Because fiber moves through your system so gradually, it feeds healthy bacteria in your gut along the way and can prevent inflammation. A high fiber diet has many other benefits and can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. One serving of cauliflower has 3 grams of fiber, which comprises 10% of the body’s fiber needs.
Cauliflower has the benefit of being rich in fiber without adding excessive carbohydrates to the diet and can provide a large variety of vitamins and minerals to the diet.
4. Contains Antioxidants
Cauliflower contains a large number of nutrients known as antioxidants. These are present in many fruits and vegetables, in many cases, brightly colored (but not in the case of cauliflower). These antioxidants prevent substances known as free radicals from oxidizing and causing the decay of healthy cells in the body.
Antioxidants can shield the body from aging or from cell destruction that can lead to serious illnesses. Some of these antioxidants include Vitamin C, beta carotene, quercetin, rutin, and cinnamic acid. In addition, cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that has specific antioxidants, including glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which can slow prevent malignant cells from reproducing.
In addition, cauliflower packs an extra amount of cancer protection because it has substances known as flavonoids and carotenoids that can also slow the growth of cancer cells. Other antioxidants in this vegetable can boost the immune system and help prevent heart and respiratory ailments.
5. Can Help you Lose Weight
Cauliflower is low in calories at 25 per cup, but its low-calorie count belies the fact that it is one of the most nutritious and high fiber vegetables you can find. You can get a lot of nutrition from cauliflower, with its rich offering of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
This means you can eat less while benefiting your body more with a nutrient-dense vegetable such as cauliflower. This vegetable is high in fiber and liquids which can make you feel fuller for longer and help prevent overeating or cheating on a diet. Fiber moves through your system very slowly and on its way, can help promote the growth of healthy bacteria and can help encourage healthy functioning of the digestive system.
Cauliflower, unlike other white vegetables such as potatoes, are low in carbohydrates, and make a wonderful replacement for high-carbohydrate side dishes, such as mashed potatoes and rice.
6. Cancer Prevention
While there is no sure-fire way to prevent cancer, you can improve your chances by consuming fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants and fiber. Antioxidants help fight the growth of cancer cells because it prevents certain cells from oxidizing and encouraging cell decay and the growth of free radicals that can speed up aging and increase the chances of developing serious diseases, such as cancer.
In particular, flavonoids and carotenoids can help cut cancer risk and are often found in cruciferous vegetables, including cauliflower. The fiber content of cauliflower can also help prevent the development of colon cancer. As it moves through the gut, cauliflower promotes the health of the digestive system and encourages the growth of healthy gut bacteria.
This vegetable also has a generous amount of sulforaphane which can stop the reproduction of cancer cells. This substance can lower the risk of breast and prostate cancers.
7. Promotes Brain Health
Cauliflower is a good source of choline, which is a substance many people, especially children, do not get enough of. Choline is essential for healthy brain development and was found in certain studies to help the brain develop properly among fetuses in utero. In addition to aiding brain health, choline also has a positive effect on the entire nervous system and helps neurotransmitters communicate messages from the nerves to the rest of the body.
In addition, choline can help prevent serious disorders of the brain and the nervous system, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Choline can also support the development of cell membranes and proper DNA synthesis. The substance can also help prevent heart disease by aiding the liver in dealing with cholesterol management. It is important that children whose brains are still developing get enough choline. One cup of cauliflower has 11% of the daily requirements of choline.
8. Aids Digestion and Gut Health
Cauliflower is good for your gut and digestion for several reasons. First of all, it is rich in fiber that can help support a healthy colon and prevent constipation.
Fiber moves through the digestive system slowly, and on its way, it can encourage the growth of healthy bacteria that promotes gut health and can prevent cancers of the digestive system. In addition, fiber can help you feel full and can keep you from overeating on a weight loss diet. Second, cauliflower has a substance known as sulforaphane that helps preserve the stomach lining. In addition, it can encourage the growth of good bacteria and prevent bad bacteria cells from multiplying.
In addition to having a positive effect on digestive health, sulforaphane can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and tame blood sugar fluctuations in diabetics. Cauliflower has plenty of liquid that can keep stools from being too dry and can effective in combating constipation.
9. Improve Cardiovascular Health
Eating cauliflower is excellent for your heart health. This cruciferous vegetable contains glucoraphanin and vitamin K, critical minerals and vitamins responsible for maintaining circulation and health of blood vessels. The body converts glucoraphanin into isothiocyanates that dramatically reduce digestive inflammation in the GI tract.
The isothiocyanates play a significant role in reducing LDL production as well. LDL lipoprotein cholesterol particles are the only risk factor in the development of atherosclerosis, a condition where LDL attaches to the walls of arteries, increasing blood pressure and risk of congestive heart failure from an artery blockage. Medical science states that blood serum levels of LDL, greater than 70-mg p/dL, significantly raises the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
The vitamin K in cauliflower also has a positive effect on the health of your heart. Vitamin K and vitamin K2 found in cauliflower increases blood clotting and enhances bone health – giving you strong, healthy bones.
10. Assists Iron Absorption
People living with the blood disorder, anemia, do not produce sufficient hemoglobin to meet the body’s need for oxygenated blood. Hemoglobin is the protein found in red blood cells that assist with transporting oxygen around the body. A deficiency in the mineral iron is the most common reason for the development of anemia. Iron increases hemoglobin production, and most doctors will recommend that their patient starts to include iron-rich sources of food in their diet.
People who are suffering from anemia may notice that they feel light-headed upon standing from a seated position. Fatigue is also another common sign of fatigue, and the patient will feel exhausted, no matter how much sleep they got the previous night.
Eating cauliflower is an excellent way to get more iron into your system. This crucifer also contains significant quantities of Vitamin C, another vital micronutrient that assists in hemoglobin production and the reduction of anemia symptoms.
11. Treat Respiratory Issues
Respiratory papillomatosis occurs due to infection with HPV, (human papillomavirus.) HPV is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted diseases in the United States, affecting more than 79–million people, with 14-million new infections occurring each year. HPV is now so common that statistics state people who become sexually active in 2019 are almost guaranteed to contract the virus at some stage in their life.
HPV causes the growth of genital warts, and it can also cause these growths to appear in the throat if a person has oral sex with an infected individual. These growths affect the normal function of the vocal cords, turning the voice gruff and hoarse.
Eating cauliflower is an excellent way of reducing the impact of the growths on your speech. Studies show that the isothiocyanates found in cauliflower can significantly reduce speech symptoms, speeding up the virus clearing time and healing of the vocal cords.
12. Enhance Bone Health
As we age, our bones begin to thin, due to a lack of protein synthesis in the body. Seniors are at risk of developing the inflammatory and degenerative bone disease, such as arthritis and osteoporosis. Patients who are suffering from the effects of osteoporosis, experience a condition where the bones leech calcium. This effect results in lower bone density, and a higher risk of fractures and breaks.
Doctors prescribe medications that increase bone density and health, and they also recommend eating foods rich in vitamin K, and C. Vitamin K plays a significant role in bone health, as does vitamin C. Both of these micronutrients increase cell turnover, new cell creation, and improve cell communication, resulting in strong, healthy bones. Vitamin K significantly reduces bone cell oxidation, while giving the skeletal system a chance to recover from the effects of the disease.
Eating cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables are essential for both men and women suffering from the effects of bone disease.
13. Stop Macular Degeneration
As we age, some individuals undergo a process called macular degeneration, where the eyes begin to lose their ability to focus on objects. This condition typically occurs in seniors, and only affects the central vision, not the periphery vision, making it challenging to focus on objects. If left undiagnosed and untreated can result in central blindness.
Macular degeneration is a chronic condition with no cure. Doctors recommend that affected individuals work with a vision specialist to learn how to cope with vision loss as it occurs. However, eating cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower may also slow the progression of the disease. Cauliflower contains significant quantities of Vitamin C and sulforaphane, two compounds that protect the retina from the oxidative stress produced by macular degeneration.
Sulforaphane also prevents impairment of your vision, while protecting your eye against the development of cataracts, which lead to blindness. Try to consume a few cups of cauliflower every week to halt the process of macular degeneration and protect your vision.
14. Detox
We live in an industrialized world, with industry releasing thousands of toxins into the environment every day. As a result, pollutants enter our land, food, and water, where we risk potential exposure to these harmful particles. Toxins accumulate in our body over time, and if they reach unsustainable levels, our body begins to experience a toxic shock that affects every biological system in our body.
Health professionals recommend that we detox our bodies from time to time. There are numerous ways to run a detoxifying program. Some people prefer to water fast, while others drink a juice diet, or decide to increase their antioxidant intake.
Making changes to your diet is another effective means of detoxing. Throw out all of the refined carbohydrates and sugar in your meals, and replace them with nutritious vegetables and fruit instead. Adding cauliflower to your detox diet is a great idea. Cauliflower contains “indole-3-carbinol,” a polyphenol phytonutrient that regulates the activity of detoxifying enzymes.
15. Keep Skin and Hair Healthy
Sulforaphane is one of the “isothiocyanate” compounds found in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables. These sulforaphane compounds promote antioxidation through the enzyme glutathione, leading to the creation of hydrogen sulfide which has potent cancer-fighting properties.
Sulforaphane also contains potent protective properties that protect the skin against the effect of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When we get sunburned, our skin creates free radicals, compounds that cause cell death through oxidation, leaving us with wrinkles. Eating cauliflower increases the number of antioxidant compounds in the body that remove free radicals from the bloodstream.
As a result of eating cauliflower regularly, you’ll find that your skin feels soft and supple, well-hydrated, and has a youthful look. Sulforaphane also protects the skin against inflammation and the development of skin cancer.
The silicon and sulfur found in cauliflower increase hair growth while strengthening the hair and nourishing the follicles. Keep your hair healthy and eat more cauliflower in your diet.
16. Treat Nervous System Disorders
Degenerative nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, affect our mental capacity and cognitive function. It may surprise you to learn that more than 5.5-million Americans over the age of 65-years old suffer from some form of a degenerative cognitive disease. Developing any of these disorders is a life-changing event. People with Alzheimer’s or a related nervous system disease lose their independence, relying on others to assist them in the twilight of their life.
Anyone who has had to take care of a relative suffering from degenerative cognitive or nervous system disease will tell you it’s a heart-breaking experience to watch someone close to them slowly lose their mind. While these types of conditions are hereditary and chronic, meaning they have no cure, some foods and medications can help to slow the progression of the disease.
Increasing your cauliflower consumption elevate glutathione production, assisting in the reduction and healing of neuronal injuries caused by inflammation and oxidative stress.
17. Balance Electrolytes and Minerals
Electrolytes are critical minerals with many different functions in the human body. When we experience an electrolyte imbalance, many adverse health conditions start to appear. The range of ailments caused by this imbalance is quite drastic, from muscle cramping to the development of osteoporosis.
Mineral imbalances also create severe health issues for affected individuals. A deficiency in calcium, a critical nutrient responsible for a wide variety of functions in the body, is a cause for serious concern. When we experience low levels of calcium, potassium, and electrolytes, we run the risk of developing a seizure that can scar brain tissue, leaving lesions that affect cognitive function.
The high potassium and calcium content found in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables help to restore mineral and electrolyte balance in the body, protecting you from the repercussions of deficiencies in these critical minerals. Eat three to four cups of cauliflower in your diet each week to reap the benefits of this natural source of calcium and potassium.
18. Stop Inflammatory Disease
A diet high in processed foods and refined carbohydrates leads to the development of inflammatory issues in the digestive system. The wall of the intestines expands as a response to the additional inflammation, leaving “gaps” in the wall where toxins escape into the bloodstream. If left unmanaged and untreated, this inflammation leads to the development of various digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, (IBS,) and “leaky gut.”
All inflammatory disease is systemic, meaning that it spreads to other parts of the body. As a result, people who eat inflammatory foods high in trans-saturated fat and sugar may notice exacerbation in symptoms of other inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis.
The sulforaphane compounds found in cauliflower help the gut recover from inflammation, returning the intestinal wall to a healthy condition. This restorative and protective effect comes from the phenethyl isothiocyanate found in cauliflower, which has a healing effect on the colon epithelium and colon tissues, preventing the growth of cancer cells.
