Cauliflower: nutrition and health benefits


Cauliflower is a variety of cabbage from the Brassicaceae family eaten as a vegetable and cultivated as a vegetable plant for its enlarged, fleshy floral meristem.

Cauliflower is a biennial herbaceous plant that produces a tender, compact white ball. 
This ball is a meristem, a pre-floral organ which, if allowed to evolve, continues its growth in floral stems which will bear yellow or white flowers, typical of the genus Brassica, then finally the seeds. 
The meristem is harvested before the cabbage enters the flowering stage and the developed ribbed leaves tightly envelop this inflorescence.

Cauliflower Nutrition Facts & Health benefits

Cauliflower is made up of water, with a content of almost 93%, it contributes to the hydration of the body.

Cauliflower is one of the lowest calorie vegetables (25 Kcal / 100g), it is suitable in low calorie diets, low in carbohydrates (5 g / 100g), among its carbohydrates, simple sugars are the majority: glucose, fructose, but also pentosans, hexanes.

There is also a small amount of starch in it , it therefore remains recommended in case of overweight or diabetes.

Its fiber content is slightly lower than the average for vegetables, these are mainly insoluble fibers (cellulose, hemicellulose), beneficial for regulating intestinal transit, It may be poorly tolerated by people examined for irritable bowels.

Cauliflower is one of the vegetables that provides a good source of potassium, of which it provides nearly 15% of the nutritional reference value relative to the recommended intake per 100 g serving. 
Potassium is necessary for the proper functioning of muscles and actively contributes to lowering blood pressure.

Cauliflower, is a source of manganese, contains carotenoids and is rich in phytonutrients which reduce oxidative stress and associated diseases.

Cauliflower contains many other minerals or trace elements, we can mention: calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, selenium, zinc, in a proportion representing 3 to 8% of the nutritional reference value (NRV) per portion of 100 g.

Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C: a raw serving contains almost as much vitamin C as half an orange, after cooking only a small amount is wasted, this vitamin which strengthens the immune system and helps fight against small and great everyday ailments.

Cauliflower also contains vitamin K essential for bone health and involved in blood clotting, it contributes to the supply of vitamin E and contains the group of B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9), it also provides a small amount of provitamin A or otherwise carotene.



Cauliflower : Choose it and store it

Cauliflower is best enjoyed during the months of August, November and December; it is the peak season for tasting cauliflower in September and October.

A fresh cauliflower should keep for 3 days in the refrigerator. If you leave the leaves that surround the cauliflower, then it can be stored for a week. 
Cauliflower cooks rotten quickly and its shelf life is 1 or 2 days in the fridge, maximum. 

You can also keep fresh cauliflower in the freezer, the florets remain good for a year. 
Please note: prepackaged frozen cauliflower generally cannot be stored for more than 6 months. Have the reflex and always check the expiration date on the packaging.

It's very easy to prepare cauliflower in bouquets, which can be eaten raw or cooked. Cauliflower is prepared by steaming, for this you just need to steam it for 5 to 10 minutes in this case and you can add some herbs (thyme, oregano or rosemary) to the water. 

If you want to cook it in a saucepan, it takes 10 to 15 minutes for the florets to stay white, add the juice of half a lemon to the water, once cooked, cool them in cold water. To limit the smell of cauliflower, you can also add a spoonful of flour or a crouton of bread to the water.