While cauliflower might not seem like much, this vegetable packs quite the nutritional punch. It’s low in calories, which makes it perfect for anyone to eat. In addition, this food can be added in place of vegetables that are not nearly as healthy, such as making cauliflower mashed potatoes. Cauliflower has many vitamins and nutrients contained in itself, so you’re really missing out if you aren’t consuming this veggie regularly. In this article, we will be discussing the nutrition facts on cauliflowers.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous plant, and it is related to broccoli. While the standard color of cauliflower is white with green leaves, it can come in a variety of different colors, such as purple. In addition to substituting it for other foods, you can eat it raw, steamed, or cooked.
Nutrients in One Cup of Cauliflower
A cup of cauliflower is packed with nutrients.
- It contains only 25 calories.
- 3 grams of fiber
- 77% of daily Vitamin C
- 20% of daily Vitamin K
- 14% of daily Folate
- 9% of daily Potassium
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Nutritional Facts about Cauliflower
1. Cauliflower is full of fiber.
Just one cup of cauliflower contains 3 grams of fiber. That’s roughly 10% of the amount your body needs every day. This makes it beneficial to your overall health as fiber is responsible for many things.
Fiber feeds your gut’s healthy bacteria, which promotes good overall digestive health and can even help reduce inflammation. An important nutrition fact about caulfiower is that eating plenty of fiber can help regulate your digestive tract and can control or even prevent some health conditions like constipation and inflammatory bowel disease.
Fiber-rich foods have also been linked with a lower risk of certain illnesses, including different cancers. People who consume plenty of fiber are also at a lower risk for heart disease and diabetes. Because it makes you feel full with limited calories, it also plays a role in weight management.
2. Cauliflower helps with weight loss.
Cauliflower’s nutrition profile helps it aid people with weight loss. Because it’s low in calories, you can eat a lot of it with minimal calorie intake. As it is high in fiber, it also helps make you feel full and slows digestion so you’re not immediately hungry again.
A lot of cauliflower is water — around 92% of its weight, in fact. This aids in it helping with weight loss.
3. Cauliflower contains plenty of antioxidants.
Antioxidants help your body with a number of different functions including protecting your cells from inflammation and the damage inflicted by free radicals. Some antioxidants, like the glucosinolates and isothiocyanates found in cauliflower and other cruciferous veggies, are also linked to slowing cancer cells growing. These antioxidants can be protective against colon and breast cancers.
Cauliflower also contains other antioxidants, such as carotenoid and flavonoids. These can reduce the risk of illnesses like heart disease and also have ant-cancer protective benefits. The large amount of Vitamin C, which functions as an antioxidant, boosts your immune health, reduces the risk of diseases like heart disease and cancer, and it also has anti-inflammatory benefits.
4. Cauliflower contains another antioxidant known as sulforaphane.
An amazing nutrition fact about cauliflower is that it contains sulforaphane, which can be helpful in inhibiting enzymes that allow cancers to grow and spread. It may also stop certain cancers from growing by destroying already damaged cells. It’s main effects are on colon and prostate cancer, but it has been studied for other cancers such as pancreatic cancer.
The benefits of sulforaphane don’t stop there, as it can also reduce high blood pressure. This antioxidant also promotes arterial health, which can help prevent heart disease. It may also help prevent diabetes and other health issues caused by diabetes including kidney disease.
5. Cauliflower contains lots of choline.
Choline is an important nutrient that has many functions in the body. Unfortunately, many people don’t get enough of it, but one cup of cauliflower provides 45 mg of choline that your body can use.
Choline helps stabilize the membranes that surround your cells and aids in the process of making DNA. It also supports metabolism and is involved in producing neurotransmitters that are needed for your nervous system to function appropriately. As another bonus, it can help your body prevent cholesterol from starting to accumulate in your liver. People who don’t get enough choline are at risk for a variety of diseases, including neurologic disorders like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and liver disease.
Cauliflower is a great vegetable with many health benefits. Some of those benefits are only beginning to be explored by science, such as some of the affects of high levels of sulforaphane. If you don’t like cauliflower by itself, it’s worth using it to replace some of your grains, such as eating it riced for a lower-calorie rice alternative.
I hope that this article on cauliflower nutrition facts was helpful. If you are interested, visit the health facts page!
