The benefits of cauliflower for the health of the body, plus its nutritional content

Cauliflower is very easy to find whenever you eat vegetable soup. Cauliflower is generally yellowish or greenish white, but some are purple and orange. Behind the beautiful colors, cauliflower turns out to have a myriad of health benefits, you know. Are you curious about the benefits of cauliflower? Come on, find out through the following reviews.

What are the nutritional content of cauliflower?

Although most cauliflower is white, this does not mean that it is poor in vitamins or minerals, you know. In fact, cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals that are not inferior to other green vegetables.

According to the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, every 100 grams of raw cauliflower contains 25 calories, 5 grams of carbohydrates consisting of 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of sugar, 30 milligrams of sodium, and 1 gram of protein. In the same dose, cauliflower can also meet 77 percent of your daily vitamin C needs, 19 percent of your daily vitamin K needs, 2 percent of your daily calcium and 2 percent of your daily iron needs.

Judging from its nutritional content, cauliflower is a vegetable that is very low in calories, but high in fiber. This is certainly good news for those of you who are on a diet.

The reason is, the fiber content in cauliflower can keep you full longer so you avoid eating wildly. In fact, you can eat a lot of cauliflower without fear of gaining weight because of its low calorie content.

In addition, cauliflower also contains carotenoids, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid. These three types of compounds include antioxidants that are useful for protecting body cells from chronic disease.

Health benefits of cauliflower

1. Reducing the risk of cancer

People who rarely eat cauliflower were found to be more at risk of developing cancer than people who eat cauliflower more frequently, as stated by the National Cancer Institute. This is influenced by the sulforaphane compounds and indoles in cauliflower which are touted as anti-cancer agents.

In addition, cauliflower also contains two antioxidant compounds called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates. These two types of antioxidants have been shown to be effective in inhibiting tumor cell division so that they do not develop into cancer cells. According to research, cauliflower can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer.

2. Improve heart health

In a study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity in 2015, sulforaphane has anti-inflammatory properties that can help protect the body from hypertension, atheroscellosis, stroke, and heart disease.

The sulforaphane content in cauliflower plays a role in strengthening blood vessels as well as helping to reduce high blood pressure. When blood pressure is properly controlled, this means that your heart doesn't have to work hard to pump blood around your body.

The stronger the blood vessels, plus the smooth flow of blood, the easier it is for you to avoid the risk of heart disease.

3. Smooth digestion

For those of you who experience digestive problems, try to eat more cauliflower and often. The reason is, one of the benefits of cauliflower can help improve digestion while preventing all digestive disorders, such as constipation, diverticulitis (inflammation of the diverticulum, sac in the large intestine), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Cauliflower contains 3 grams of fiber which can meet 10 percent of your daily fiber needs. These fiber-rich foods can help push feces through your digestive system more easily. Not only does it make digestion smoother, it can also help maintain the health of your colon.

To reap all the benefits of cauliflower, it is recommended that you consume 1.5 to 2.5 cups or the equivalent of 150 to 250 grams of cauliflower every week. You can process it into warm soup, salad, or stir-fry vegetables according to taste.