For such a low calorie food, cauliflower contains a high amount of nutrition. For example, in just 1 cup (29 calories), this plain-looking white vegetable provides over 75% daily value of Vitamin C! If that wasn’t a lot, let’s take a look at more nutrients in cauliflower…
Nutrition in 1 Cup Raw Cauliflower:
- 77% Daily Recommended Value of Vitamin C
- 20% Vitamin K
- 14% Folate
- 11% Vitamin B6
- 9% Potassium
LiveScience explains that these vitamins and minerals aid in wound healing, growing strong bones, iron absorption, brain health, pregnancy and more.
According to Dr Josh Axe, cauliflower fights inflammation, helps balance hormones and preserves eye health. Plus, this low calorie vegetable helps with digestion because it increases nutrient absorption and aids in toxin elimination.
In addition, like other cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower can reduce your cancer risk. The “secret” is the glucosinolates, which contain beneficial sulfur-containing compounds
In addition to the low calories, 1 cup of cauliflower only has 5.3 grams of total carbohydrates, 2.5 grams of which are fiber. No wonder so many people are switching to cauliflower rice, right?
Which is Better? Fresh VS Frozen VS Cooked Cauliflower
Raw VS Frozen:
Usually, we think that raw vegetables surpass the nutrition in the frozen version. However, studies found that while Vitamin C was higher in raw cauliflower, Anthocyanin (an antioxidant) almost tripled in value when the vegetable was flash frozen.
Raw VS Cooked:
As expected, cooked cauliflower loses some of its nutrients, like Vitamin C, when heated. That said, Scientific American reports that when you cook this cruciferous vegetable, it forms “indole“, an organic compound. Indole helps kill precancerous cells before they turn malignant. Interesting.
In general, it’s best to use minimal heat and water while cooking vegetables because higher heat can deplete nutritional value. That’s another great reason to eat cauliflower rice!
Less Nutrition Lost in Cooking! Riced cauliflower requires less time and heat to prepare because the smaller pieces have greater surface area and therefore cook faster.
Nutrients in Cauliflower VS Broccoli: Which is Healthier?
Most people probably assume that broccoli provides more nutrition than cauliflower. Not surprisingly, they have the right answer. However, I was surprised to find that cauliflower comes very close in nutritional value – and it is lower in carbs. What? More cauliflower rice please!
Because it provides so many health benefits, some consider cauliflower to be one of the world’s healthiest vegetables. In fact, The George Mateljan Foundation recommends including 3/4 cup of cruciferous vegetables in your daily diet.
Cauliflower Rice Delivers a Win-Win
First of all, you can cut out traditional brown or white rice and lower carbs in your diet.
And secondly, you gain all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, indole and fiber from this nutrient-dense cruciferous vegetable. So next time you’re craving a rice dish, why not try out one of these 10 cauliflower rice bowls?