Commonly known for their pale appearance, cauliflowers - a cruciferous vegetable - actually come in a variety of colours - from orange to purple - and present a variety of nutritional and health benefits.

Part of your 5-a-day

A portion of cauliflower - around 3 heaped tablespoons or 8 cauliflower florets - counts towards your 5-a-day.

Vitamin C - immunity & skin health

Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C - ascorbic acid - with 100g of cooked cauliflower providing ¾ of our daily requirement. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body so it needs to be incorporated in our diet every day. 

Vitamin C is important for our immune system - supporting against infection -, is needed to make and maintain collagen, and acts as an antioxidant protecting cells from oxidative damage - which can accelerate ageing - and helping maintain healthy skin, cartilage & bones.

Folate - cell growth & pregnancy

Cauliflower is a good source of folate, an essential B vitamin - vitamin B9. 

Folate - folic acid being the manmade form of folate - helps our cells grow and multiply, and form healthy red blood cells. This vitamin is most important when planning a pregnancy as it supports brain development during pregnancy and infancy and protects against neural tube defects. 

A portion of cooked cauliflower - 8 cauliflower florets - provides around ¼ of our daily requirement.

Dietary Fibre - gut health

Cauliflower contains dietary fibre, an important component of a healthy and balanced diet. Dietary fibre helps keep our digestive system healthy, normalises our bowel movements, helps us feel fuller for longer, and reduces our risk of certain diseases - heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Find out more on my previous blog: Dietary Fibre.

Choline -  learning, memory & brain development

Cauliflower is a source of choline, a ‘conditionally essential’ micronutrient - our bodies can make small amounts, but most of us need choline from our diets.

Choline has many key functions, including producing a neurotransmitter - acetylcholine - which helps with muscle contraction and supports brain functions - learning, memory and mood -, forming the membranes of cells to assist fat and cholesterol transportation, and helping early brain development.

Vitamin K - coagulation & bone health

Cauliflower is rich in vitamin K, a group of vitamins - vitamin K1, K2 and K3 - which our bodies need for blood clotting and wound healing. Vitamin K also helps form and maintain the structure of our bones by improving calcium absorption.

The take-home:

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References

1. NHS. Live Well - Eat Well - 5 A Day portion sizes. NHS Eat Well, 18 Sept. 2018, https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day-portion-sizes/ 

2. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals - Vitamin C. NHS Sources, 03 Aug. 2020, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/ 

3. Carr AC, Maggini S. Vitamin C and Immune Function. Nutrients. 2017 Nov 3;9(11):1211. doi: 10.3390/nu9111211. PMID: 29099763; PMCID: PMC5707683.

4. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals - B vitamins and folic acid. NHS Sources, 03 Aug. 2020, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-b/ 

5. European Food and Information Council (EUFIC). Vitamins and Minerals - Choline: foods, functions, how much do you need & more. 11 Jan. 2021. https://www.eufic.org/en/vitamins-and-minerals/article/choline-foods-functions-how-much-do-you-need-more 

6. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals - Vitamin K. NHS Sources, 03 Aug. 2020, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-k/