By TreeLiving
People looking to firm up and rejuvenate their skin probably wouldn’t think of cauliflower as a top healthy food to assist in this task. Great skin is linked to a diet rich in cleansing antioxidants. Think antioxidants and you’ll probably think of all the advice you’ve heard about getting more of them from leafy green vegetables like broccoli.
But it’s not only broccoli and its green relatives that’s a healthy food with skin enhancing properties. Cauliflower is a new kid on the block in the skin regeneration stakes. White foods are often associated with stodginess, starchiness and lower nutritional value, but Cauliflower isn’t one of those. In fact, it’s got all sorts of qualifications that make it a good dietary choice for people wanting to give their skin a boost.
With around 25 kcal per 100g, cauliflower is low in fat and carbohydrates, making it great for any one opting for healthy food to promote baseline general health. It’s also full of dietary fiber (around 2g per 100g), which is what we all need for a fully functioning digestive system with good toxin elimination. That’s another basic prerequisite for glowing skin tone. Like other members of the brassica family, cauliflower contains several phytochemicals that are thought to protect against cancer.
It’s also the vitamin content of cauliflower that is of interest to anyone seeking healthy food that is good for the skin in particular. Vitamins C is essential for good skin, along with fatty acids like linoleic acid. Along with a substantial vitamin K component, cauliflower delivers a good part of the total requirements of a diet designed to promote great skin. It is in line with the findings of clinical nutritionists who found in a recent study that low carb content, plus vitamin C and fatty acids, seem to be linked to less dry skin and wrinkles.
One important note regarding preparation needs emphasizing here: boiling destroys a substantial proportion of the nutritional value. Steaming, microwaving and quick frying in a wok are preferred cooking methods to lock in the goodness of cauliflower. And, of course, it’s also good raw.
Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables around, so depending on how you cook it, and what you cook it with, it’s a great base vegetable for healthy food selected for skin health. A healthy option is to cook it with tomato, also rich in vitamin C and omega 3 fatty acids. The Indian dish aloo gobi adds delicious spices, adding flavor without loading on the calories. Turmeric, a key ingredient in this dish, is thought to have antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties that ultimately aid digestion.
The old favorite, cauliflower with cheese sauce, probably isn’t the healthiest food around, thanks to the high fat content of the cheese and butter topping. Still, we all need some fat in our diet and if you go lightly with the sauce you’ll still get the benefits of the cauliflower component. However you cook it, cauliflower tastes great and is packed with nutrition for general wellbeing, as well as having the potential to reduce wrinkles. Enjoy!