Amazing health benefits of Cauliflower/phool Gobi

 

Health benefits of Cauliflower/ phool Gobi

Plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains, which contain significant amounts of bioactive phytochemicals, may provide desirable health benefits beyond basic nutrition to reduce the risk of chronic diseases. Epidemiological evidence suggests that consumption of a diet rich in vegetables and fruits has positive implications for human health. In the last decades, special attention has been paid towards edible plants, especially those that are rich in secondary metabolites (frequently called phytochemicals), and nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the antioxidant activity of such phytochemicals present in diet. Recent reports suggest that cruciferous vegetables act as a good source of natural antioxidants due to the high levels of carotenoids, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid, and strong epidemiological evidence shows that these compounds may help to protect the human body against damage by reactive oxygen species. In addition to carotenoids, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid, most of the antioxidative effect related to plant food intake is mainly due to the presence of phenolic compounds, which have been associated with flavour and colour characteristics of fruits and vegetables. In this aspect, the popularity and consumption of vegetable Brassica species is increasing because of their nutritional value. Brassica crops have been related to the reduction of the risk of chronic diseases including cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

Brassica foods are very nutritive, providing nutrients and health-promoting phytochemicals such as vitamins, carotenoids, fiber, soluble sugars, minerals, glucosinolates, and phenolic compounds. Vegetables of Brassicaceae family are the essential sources of phenolic compounds in the human diet. They also contain derivatives of hydroxycinnamic, caffeic, chlorogenic, ferulic, and synapic acids as well as flavonols (kaempferol derivatives, and quercetin derivatives) and anthocyanins (red cabbage) Brassica vegetables have been reported as good sources of antimutagens.

Cauliflower or phool gobhi is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea in the genus Brassica, which is in the Brassicaceae (or Mustard) family. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head is eaten – the edible white flesh sometimes called "curd" (with a similar appearance to cheese curd). Cauliflower, like broccoli and cabbage, belongs to the cruciferous (Brassicaceae) family of vegetables.

It shows anti-oxidant, apoptosis-inducing, enzyme-inhibiting, antibacterial, antiatherosclerotic, anti-inflammatory, antitumour, antithrombogenic, antiosteoporotic, and antiviral effects

        Click here for more information about Anti-oxidant and free radicals

It has different names in different languages such as English name (Cauliflower),  Marathi name[फूलावर (Flower), फूलकोबी (phool kobi/gobi)],  Hindi name (phool gobi, Gobi),  Sanskrit name(पुष्पगोभी, स्वादुशाका, मध्यपुष्पा, बृहद्दला, पीतपुष्पा),  Gujrati name[फूलकोबी (Phulkobi), कोबिआ (Kobia)],  Tamil name [गोस्पूवु (Gospoovu), पूरोबी (Pooraobi), गोस (Gos)],  Telugu name[कौलीफ्लावर (Cauliflower), गोस (Gos)],  Malayalam name(Cauliflovar),  Kannada name(Hoovina-kosu),  Bengali name(Fulcopi, Kopi),  Nepali name(Cauli),  Urdu name(Phuul Gobhii),   Odia name(Fulakobi),  

Vitamins and minerals content 

Vitamins : C, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9

Minerals : Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc

• Raw cauliflower is 92% water, 5% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and contains negligible fat.

•  It is a very good source of choline, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, phosphorus, and biotin. 

• cauliflower is particularly high in glucosinolates and isothiocyanates with some amount carotenoids and flavonoids as a Anti-oxidant.

            - Boiling reduces the levels of cauliflower glucosinolates, while other cooking methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on glucosinolate levels.

• These included gallic, pyrogallol, catechin, protocatechuic acid, catechol, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinic acid, rutin, caffeic acid, vanillic acid, quercetin, naringenin, syringic acid, coumaric acid, cinnamic, and kaempferol

Benefits, Application and Uses

1) Cauliflower heads can be roasted, grilled, boiled, fried, steamed, pickled, or eaten raw. 

                  - Recent studies have shown that boiling, full submersion of cauliflower in water when cooking, is not the best cooking practice if you want to preserve key phytonutrients in this cruciferous vegetable. In one study, 3 minutes of cauliflower submersion in a full pot of boiling water was enough to draw out more phytonutrients than 10 full minutes of steaming. Glucosinolates and flavonoids were the phytonutrients lost from cauliflower in greater amounts with full water submersion.

2) Cauliflower pacifies Kapha & Pitta but aggravates Vata.         

         Click here for more information about Tridosha (Vata, Kapha, Pitta)

3) Cauliflower mixes well with other complementing vegetables, and lentils.

4) Fresh cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin-C; 100 g provides about 48.2 mg or 80% of daily recommended value. Vitamin-C is a proven antioxidant that helps fight against harmful free radicals, boosts immunity, and prevents infections.

5) cauliflower ranks among the top 25 powerhouse fruits and vegetables in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI), a scoring method that ranks foods based on their nutrient content per calorie. 

6) Cauliflower has a high fiber content, and one cup of it cooked has about 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of fiber. Fiber reach diet can help prevent constipation and promote bulkier & softer stools that are easier to pass through the digestive system.

7) Weight loss : cauliflower's low caloric and high Nutrient content food, which is great for those who are trying to lose weight. You can substantially cut down on calories and carbohydrates when you choose cauliflower, while adding in extra fiber to help keep you full and eases constipation problem. With this cauliflower is made up of large amount water which can help to keep your body hydrated and it's high vitamins, minerals and antioxidant contain maintain maintains body Nutrition content.

               - Cauliflower low-calorie substitute for high-calorie foods, such as rice and flour.

8) Cauliflower is a great source of antioxidants, which protect your cells from harmful free radicals and inflammation.

9) It is generally used as cooked vegetable either singly or mixed with potato as fried or in curry form. Small pieces of  cauliflower  can  be  fried  with  besan  for  the  preparation  of  pakoras.  Grated  cauliflower  is  used  to  prepare stuffed parathas.cit is also used in preparation of pickle with other vegetables.

10) Sulphur compounds present in the cauliflower - glucosinolates, which impart the typical smell to cauliflower, are very beneficial for our digestive system. 

11) Studies have shown that sulforaphane present in cauliflower is effective in protecting the skin against the damage caused by ultraviolet radiation. 

12) cauliflower benefits in throat swelling

            - Gargling cauliflower roots decoction helps in throat swelling, throat wounds. Whereas it's decoction (drinking) is also helpful for cough.

13) For piles : Eating roasted cauliflower in ghee along with some rock helps in problem with piles

Varieties of cauliflower

Imeage source : Wikipedia

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Reference :

1) BioMed Research International.  Published online 2013 Sep 22.   PMCID: PMC3793502

2) Preventive Nutrition Food Science.  Published online 2019 Jun 30.  PMCID: PMC6615361

3) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion : https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm/pdf/13_0390.pdf

4) Advances in Vegetable Agronomy.  Indian Council of Agricultural Research Department of Agricultural Research and Education,  Chapter 10.

5) sciencedirect.com

6) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=13

7) International Journal of Applied and Pure Science and Agriculture (IJAPSA).  Volume 03, Issue 9, [September- 2017].   e-ISSN: 2394-5532

8) Local tradition and knowledge

9) NCBI

10) PUBMED

11) Imeage source : Pinterest

12) Book : jadibuti rahasya - acharya Balakrishnan