Science Behind Eating Cauliflower To Improve Health

Cauliflower, a staple vegetable for various households around the world, could be considered as a renaissance vegetable, as a single vegetable can do multiple things. Cauliflower can easily be converted into rice with a reduced amount of carbohydrates, can be used as a healthy alternative for pizza crust, and can turn into a soft mash and even nutritious serving of gnocchi.

Cauliflower contains numerous nutrients that are required by the body to function adequately. It is a vegetable with a mild taste that allows it to be converted into different flavors of your own choice. However, it is important to fully understand the mechanism that undergoes inside the body when an individual eats cauliflower in one of his meals in a day.

Although the vegetable is very nutritious to eat and a healthy alternative to eat fewer calories throughout the day and limit cravings, there are some drawbacks to consuming cauliflower that should be taken into consideration. Here are some of the important health benefits and tips of eating cauliflower that should be kept in mind before eating it.

High fiber content

Cauliflower is high in fiber content as they have 2 to 3 grams of fiber in 1 cup of vegetables. This quantity may sound an underwhelming amount, but intake of 3 grams of fiber is around 10% of the recommended daily intake, which is easily accessible from just a side dish. Consuming fiber on a daily basis is an important requirement to maintain optimum health and could also facilitate in losing weight while preventing excessive cravings.

The fibers present in food products help the smooth running of the digestive system and also helping in reducing inflammation in the gut. Fibers also help in lowering any risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and more. Fibers allow the body to feel full for long-duration, similar to proteins.

Increased Hydration

Cauliflower contains 92% water, which means that most of the cauliflower, which when consumed, is full of nutrients along with a high amount of water. One service (100 grams) of cauliflower contains 59 ml of water amount. Cauliflower could easily be incorporated in grain-based recipes, which allows further addition of nutrients along with aiding in the digestion process due to high water content.

Cause bloating

Cauliflower is a vegetable that is both nutritious and delicious, but it is also cruciferous. Cruciferous vegetables are a great source of nutrients as they contain vitamin K, E, C along with FODMAPs. FODMAPS are actually fermentable monosaccharide, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polyols, which means that these food products are not easily digested in the small intestines and ends up fermenting while in the large intestine, which results in gas and bloating. In some studies, intake of FODMAPs has been linked to causing irritable bowel syndrome.

Cauliflower which has been cooked before eaten can easily be digested as the process of cooking breaks some of the carbs present while in the intestines, which allows for rapid absorption and movement, rather than causing bloating.

Effect on medication

The cauliflower has a high content of vitamin K in them, which could alter the effects of certain medications, especially blood thinners, as these medicines could possibly interact with vitamin K due to which the individuals are warned by their doctors to observe the intake of vitamin K. vitamin K allow the blood present inside the body to clot due to which it is very important to monitor the adequate intake of it when consuming blood-thinning medications to prevent any imbalance.

While consuming blood thinners on a regular basis, it is important to check the intake of cauliflower as 1 cup of cauliflower has 20% of the daily intake of vitamin K.

Lose excess body weight

Although it is a broad statement, the nutritional value could help provide a better understanding of this concept. One cup of cauliflower contains only 25 calories, 3 grams of fiber, numerous nutrients and vitamins (potassium, Vitamin A, C, K, folate, and more). Cauliflower has the versatility to be added in various dishes, as it could be used in place of grains to provide a hearty meal with fewer calories.

By grating the cauliflower head, it could be used in place of rice for a low-calorie meal, including stir-fry. By doing this, the addition of different vegetables or Korean kimchi into the cauliflower rice would provide exceptional taste and a snack in less amount of time. As long as more calories are not consumed by having unhealthy foods, any person can easily lose weight. Pairing a healthy and nutritious diet with a daily exercise plan for 30 minutes per day would contribute to healthy weight loss.

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