By Jean Sumner
Cauliflower is full of health benefits. Generally we don’t think of cauliflower as a superfood but it is so full of great stuff I think you could definitely call it a super food!
Cauliflower is great at fighting cancer. Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has also been shown to kill cancer stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth. Some researchers believe eliminating cancer stem cells may be important to controlling cancer.
Research has shown that combining cauliflower with curcumin (the active compound in the spice turmeric) may help prevent and treat prostate cancer. Another study found that sulforaphane may reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumors in animals.
Sulforaphane also inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death.
Cauliflower also includes indoles and isothiocyanates which have been found to inhibit the development of cancer in several organs in rats and mice, including the bladder, breast, colon, liver, lung, and stomach.
This awesome vegetable also boosts heart health. Sulforaphane in cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables has been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function. Scientists believe sulforaphane’s benefits are related to improved DNA methylation, which is crucial for normal cellular function and proper gene expression, especially in the easily damaged inner lining of the arteries known as the endothelium.
Cauliflower is also anti-inflammatory! It contains a wealth of anti-inflammatory nutrients to help keep inflammation in check, including indole-3-carbinol or I3C, an anti-inflammatory compound that may operate at the genetic level to help prevent the inflammatory responses at its foundational level.
Cauliflower is rich in vitamins and minerals; it includes vitamin C, vitamin K, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, and manganese.
This amazing vegetable also boosts your brain health. It is a good source of choline a B vitamin known for its role in brain development. It appears that it may boost cognitive function and improve learning and memory. It may even diminish age-related memory decline.
Detoxing is another benefit of cauliflower. Cauliflower helps your body’s ability to detoxify in multiple ways. It contains antioxidants that support Phase 1 detoxification along with sulfur-containing nutrients important for Phase 2 detox activities. The glucosinolates in cauliflower also activate detoxification enzymes.
Cauliflower also helps with digestion due to the dietary fiber in the vegetable. Also, researchers have determined that the sulforaphane made from a glucosinolates in cauliflower (glucoraphanin) can help protect the lining of your stomach.
Cauliflower contains antioxidants and phytonutrients. It’s packed with vitamin C, beta-carotene, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin, cinnamic acid, and much more. Antioxidants are nature’s way of providing your cells with adequate defense against attack by reactive oxygen species.
As long as you have these important micronutrients, your body will be able to resist aging caused by your everyday exposure to pollutants, chronic stress, and more. If you don’t have an adequate supply of antioxidants to help squelch free radicals, then you can be at risk of oxidative stress, which leads to accelerated tissue and organ damage.