Cauliflower

Packed with rich nutrients, cauliflower or cabbage flower is one of the commonly used flower-vegetables. Its compact flower heads hold numerous health benefiting phtyo-nutrients such as vitamins, indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane etc., that help prevent overweight, diabetes and offer protection fromaprostate, ovarian, and cervicalcancers. Botanically, the flower head is a member in the cruciferous or brassicaceae family of vegetables. It hasasimilar nutritional and phyto-chemistry profile as that of other brassica family veggies like broccoli and cabbage.

Likewise that of broccoli, cauliflower head too is made up of tightly clustered florets thatabegin to form but halted at bud stage. This cool-season vegetable prefers fertile rich adequate moisture in the soil to flourish. Several cultivars exist other than common snow-white variety, including green, orange, purple, and romanesco heads.

To keep its flower heads creamy white, they should be protected from sunlight, which, otherwise would turn them green due to photosynthesis. Farmers in the field, therefore, cover close-by leaves together over the heads when they reach about quarter of their destined size. Fully grown flower heads should be harvested at the right time in order to avoid them turning over-matured.

Overmatured head loses compactness and its surface become grainy, discolored, and no longer has tenderness, and flavor.

It is very low in calories. 100 g of the fresh cauliflower head provides only 26 calories. Nevertheless, it comprises of several health-benefiting antioxidants and vitamins in addition to be low in fat and zero cholesterol.

Its florets contain about 2 g of dietary fiber per 100 g; providing about 5% of recommended value.

Cauliflower contains several anti-cancer phyto-chemicals like sulforaphane and plant sterols such as indole-3-carbinol, which appears to function as an anti-estrogen agent. Together, these compounds have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers by virtue of their cancer-cell growth inhibition, cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.

Furthermore, di-indolyl-methane (dim), a lipid soluble compound present abundantly in brassica group of vegetables, including cauliflower, has found to be effective as immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agent. This compound brings out these functions by virtue of its ability to synthesize and potentiate interferon-gamma receptors at the cellular level. Dim has currently been found application in the treatment of recurring respiratory papillomatosis caused by the human papilloma virus (hpv) and is in phase iii clinical trials for cervical dysplasia.

Fresh cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin c; 100 g provides about 48.2 mg or 80% of daily recommended value. Vitamin-c is a proven antioxidant helps fight against harmful free radicals, boosts immunity and prevents infections and cancers.

It contains good amounts of many vital b-complex groups of vitamins such as folates, pantothenic acid (vitamin b5), pyridoxine (vitamin b6) and thiamin (vitamin b1), niacin (b3) as well as vitamin k. These vitamins is essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish and required for fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism.

Further, it is an also good source of minerals such as manganese, copper, iron, calcium and potassium. Manganese is used in the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Potassium is an important intracellular electrolyte helps counter the hypertension effects of sodium.