Superfood of the Week: Cauliflower

Photo by Guerrilla Futures Jason Tester.

If your brain has been affected by anti-white food propaganda, you may be pushing all non-colorful vegetables out of your peripheral vision, and your pantry. Here is one big fat tasty exception to the rule: Cauliflower.

Cauliflower is a shy one, and even though its pale demeanor doesn’t jump out at you in the produce section, screaming “TAKE ME HOME,” it’s loaded with a bunch of nutritious goodness including:

• Vitamin C a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.  It works to keep your capillaries and blood vessels healthy, helps with wound healing, collagen and tissue repair, and keeps you strong during cold and flu season.
• Folate a B vitamin that your body needs to make healthy new cells and  is super important during pregnancy and when you are trying to concieve.
• Vitamin K which your body needs to make healthy bones and prevent against osteoporosis.
• Fiber which keeps your digestive tract happy and healthy.  Fiber lowers the glycemic index of your meal, keeping your blood sugar and energy levels steady.
• Cancer preventing compounds often found in the cruciferous family (cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, bok choy). These sulfur-containing phytochemicals  have been shown to disrupt the growth of cancer cells, detox carcinogens and break down excess estradiol which is associated with breast cancer.

Add some herbs, spices, butter and garlic and you can do just about anything with this hardy head of florets!  Try replacing your mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower this week and see if your kids notice! Here’s a great recipe.

Dr. Nishant Rao is a co-founder of WellWire.com. He is a well-traveled naturopathic doctor and new father, practicing an integrative approach to create wellness in and around Los Angeles. Become a patient or discover his practice.