benefits of cauliflower

Cauliflower, one of several cruciferous vegetables, is an ideal weightloss companion for meatless meals. Its strong flavor allows it to stand alone without meat or other fatty foods. And if youre really hungry, raw cauliflower makes a wonderful snack. Because its extra crunchy, cauliflower takes longer to chew, giving your body time to realize youre full before you eat yourself out of house and home.

All cruciferous vegetables provide integrated nourishment across a wide variety of nutritional categories and provide broad support across a wide variety of body systems as well. Cauliflower, a cruciferous vegetable, is in the same plant family as broccoli, kale, cabbage and collards. It has a compact head (called a curd), with an average size of six inches in diameter, composed of undeveloped flower buds. The flowers are attached to a central stalk. When broken apart into separate buds, cauliflower looks like a little tree, something that many kids are fascinated by.

Cauliflower traces its ancestry to the wild cabbage, a plant thought to have originated in ancient Asia Minor, which resembled kale or collards more than the vegetable that we now know it to be. The cauliflower went through many transformations and reappeared in the Mediterranean region, where it has been an important vegetable in Turkey and Italy since at least 600 B.C.

Cauliflower is your next best natural source of vitamin C, anantioxidantthat appears to help combatcancer. Its also an important warrior in the continuous battle our bodies wage against infection. Cauliflower is also notable for its fiber,folic acid, and potassium contents, proving its more nutritious than its white appearance would have you believe. Cauliflower may also be a natural cancer fighter. It contains phytochemicals, called indoles, that may stimulate enzymes that block cancer growth.

While cauliflower is not a wellstudied cruciferous vegetable from a health standpoint, you will find several dozen studies linking cauliflowercontaining diets to cancer prevention, particularly with respect to the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. This connection between cauliflower and cancer prevention should not be surprising, since cauliflower provides special nutrient support for three body systems that are closely connected with cancer development as well as cancer prevention. These three systems are (1) the bodys detox system, (2) its antioxidant system, and (3) its inflammatory/antiinflammatory system. Chronic imbalances in any of these three systems can increase risk of cancer, and when imbalances in all three systems occur simultaneously, the risk of cancer increases significantly.

Cauliflowercontains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has also been shown to kill cancer stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth. Some researchers believe eliminating cancer stem cells may be key to controlling cancer. Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, often overshadowed by its green cousin broccoli. This is one vegetable that deserves a regular rotation in your diet, however, as it contains an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.

Sulforaphane in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables has been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function.4Scientists believe sulforaphanes benefits are related to improved DNA methylation, which is crucial for normal cellular function and proper gene expression, especially in the easily damaged inner lining of the arteries known as the endothelium.

You need some level of inflammation in your body to stay healthy. However, its also possible, and increasingly common, for the inflammatory response to get out of hand.If your immune system mistakenly triggers an inflammatory response when no threat is present, it can lead to significant inflammationrelated damage to the body, a condition linked to cancer and other diseases, depending on which organs the inflammation is impacting.

Eating cauliflower regularly is a simple way to get these muchneeded nutrients into your body. For instance, one serving of cauliflower contains 77 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. Its also a good source of vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.

Cauliflower is a good source ofcholine, a B vitamin known for its role in brain development. Choline intake during pregnancy supercharged the brain activity of animals in utero, indicating that it may boost cognitive function, and improve learning and memory. It may even diminish agerelated memory decline and your brains vulnerability to toxins during childhood, as well as conferring protection later in life.