Cauliflower is one of the most important sources of nutrition among vegetables. It is rich in phytochemicals and antioxidants that can lower the risk of various diseases, including heart disease and cancer. What is more, adding it to your diet can make losing weight remarkably easy.

Usually only the flower of the cauliflower, the white part, is eaten. The stalks and thick green leaves around it are either used to make soup or thrown away. The vegetable gets its Bengali name, phulkopi, because the white part surrounded by leaves looks like a flower.

Here are some surprising health benefits of cauliflower:

• Cauliflower is an excellent source of almost every vitamin and mineral you need. One cup of raw cauliflower (128 grams) has 25 calories, along with important vitamins and minerals such as fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus.
• Cauliflower is quite high in fibre, which is important for overall digestive health and can lower the risk of chronic diseases. One cup contains 3 grams of fibre, 10 per cent of your daily need. Fibre matters because it restores healthy gut bacteria, which helps reduce gut inflammation and improves digestive health. Eating enough fibre helps with constipation, diverticulitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
• Cauliflower is a great source of antioxidants, which protect your body's cells from harmful free radicals and inflammation. It contains two powerful antioxidants called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, which have an effect in slowing the growth of cancer cells. It also contains carotenoid and flavonoid antioxidants, which have anti-cancer effects and can reduce the risk of heart disease and other problems.
• Frequently eating low-calorie foods is linked to weight loss. The first feature of cauliflower that can help is that it has only 25 calories a cup, so you can eat plenty without gaining weight. It can also stand in for high-calorie foods such as rice and flour. Because fibre can cut overall calorie intake, it can play a role in preventing obesity, automatically reducing the calories you eat through the day, an important part of weight control.
• Cauliflower is rich in choline, an essential nutrient. One cup contains 45 milligrams of choline, 11 per cent of adequate intake for women and 8 per cent for men. Choline contributes to many important body functions: it plays a major role in maintaining the integrity of cell membranes, DNA synthesis and supporting metabolism. It aids brain development and the production of neurotransmitters needed by the nervous system, and even stops cholesterol building up in the liver. People who do not get enough choline may be at higher risk of liver and heart disease, as well as neurological disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's. It is involved in many of the body's processes and works to prevent various diseases.

So to keep your body healthy, include cauliflower in your daily vegetables in winter and stay away from illness.

Written by Md Mainur Reza.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.