Cauliflower is a powerhouse of nutrition. Steamed, stewed or raw cauliflower florets provide you with many nutritional benefits. By measuring the nutritional values in cauliflower you can see that one serving of this cruciferous vegetable can provide you with up to 100 percent of your daily vitamin C, as well as many other important nutrients.
Step 1
Break apart the white cauliflower curd and separate the branches, or florets, until you have 1 cup. Like its cousin broccoli, cauliflower is very low in calories. The edible portion of cauliflower, the curd, is naturally protected from sunlight by the plant's leaves as it grows, and this lack of sunlight, and therefore, chlorophyll, lets the curd remain white. Nutritional values are altered somewhat by differing styles of cooking, but the calories in raw and fresh-frozen are almost the same. According to the USDA, fresh, raw cauliflower has 27 calories per cup, while 1 cup of frozen unprepared cauliflower has 32 calories, and 1 cup of cooked, boiled and drained without salt has 28 calories.
Step 2
Place your florets into the measuring cup. Notice the individual stems of the florets and how they are cross-shaped. Cauliflower and broccoli are called cruciferous, which is derived from a Latin word meaning cross-bearing, because of the cross-shaped branches. Nutritional values can also be measured by the amount of macronutrients --- the carbohydrate, protein, and fat --- in cauliflower. The macronutrients in your 1 cup of raw florets are low. Data from the USDA shows that your 1 cup of raw cauliflower florets contain 5.32 grams carbohydrate, 2.05 grams protein and 0.068 grams of fat.
Step 3
Rinse your florets in cold running water. A cup of cauliflower florets holds several important micronutrients. Besides being a low-calorie food, cauliflower is a high source of folacin and vitamin C. Folacin, also known as folic acid or vitamin B9, helps your body produce and maintain healthy red blood cells. Vitamin C is needed in your body to aid in, among other things, growth and repair of tissues. Food charts from the USDA show that a cup of raw cauliflower florets contain 61 micrograms folacin and 51.6 milligrams vitamin C. However, a cup of cauliflower that has been cooked, boiled and drained without salt contains 54 micrograms folacin and 55 milligrams vitamin C.
Step 4
Place your cauliflower florets in your microwavable container, cover and microwave on high for three minutes. Let them stand two minutes. Some nutrients can be lost when cauliflower is overcooked. The CDC recommends using steam or your microwave to get the most vitamin consumption. These two methods help preserve many of the nutrients in cauliflower, especially the B vitamins.
Tips and Warnings
- A head of cauliflower that weighs about 2 pounds can feed four to six people.
Things You'll Need
- 1 cup measuring cup
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