Butternut squash, a member of the Cucurbita family, is a winter squash with yellow skin, orange pulp and a sweet taste that’s similar to pumpkin. Cauliflower belongs to the Brassicaceae family of cruciferous vegetables that also includes cabbage and broccoli. Both vegetables are good sources of vitamin C and dietary fiber, but they contain different amounts of other nutrients.
Basic Nutrition
Nutritional values use a serving size of 100 grams for each vegetable, which equals about 1 cup of chopped cauliflower and 3/4 cup of cubed butternut squash. Cauliflower has 25 calories, 2 grams of protein and 5 grams of carbohydrates. Butternut squash has 45 calories, 1 grams of protein and 12 grams of carbohydrates. Butternut squash is lower in total fat, with 0.1 grams compared to 0.3 grams in cauliflower. They both have 2 grams of dietary fiber. This amount gives men 5 percent, and women 8 percent, of their recommended daily intake of fiber.
Vitamins
Both vegetables are good sources of vitamin C, but with 48 milligrams, or 53 percent of the recommended daily intake, cauliflower has double the 21 milligrams of vitamin C in butternut squash. Cauliflower doesn’t contain vitamin A, but butternut squash is an outstanding source: It has 10,630 international units, or 354 percent of the daily value, of vitamin A. Butternut squash also has 9 percent of the recommended dietary intake of vitamin E, while cauliflower only has a trace amount. On the other hand, cauliflower provides 13 percent of the daily value of vitamin K compared to just 1 percent in butternut squash. They both provide about 15 percent of the daily value of vitamin B-6. Cauliflower and butternut squash also provide the B-vitamins riboflavin, folate, thiamin and niacin, but cauliflower has double the riboflavin and folate while butternut squash has twice the amount of thiamin and niacin.
Minerals
The two vegetables provide about 6 percent of the daily value of phosphorus and potassium, and 3 percent of the trace mineral zinc. Cauliflower contains 2 to 4 percent of calcium, iron and magnesium. Butternut squash has double that amount, providing 4 to 8 percent of calcium, iron and magnesium. Both are low in salt. Butternut squash doesn’t have any sodium, while cauliflower has 30 milligrams, or only 2 percent of the daily value.
Phytochemicals
Plants contain chemicals, called phytochemicals, that have important health benefits. As a cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower has phytochemicals that are not found in butternut squash. These chemicals may reduce your risk of cancer by helping your body eliminate carcinogens, increasing the death of cancer cells or preventing them from spreading, according to Linus Pauling Institute.
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