Wednesday, January 8, 2014

2014 Health Food Trends - Cauliflower

As promised, I'm going to do a couple of posts on some upcoming trends that have been named as the next up and coming things for 2014. You'll totally be able to impress your friends with your nerdy nutrition knowledge when they bring up things like teff and freekah. I don't really know who decides these things are going to be cool every year… but they're pretty spot on. Last year it was quinoa and kale, which have become a staple in a lot of households, but honestly before last year how many people really cooked with quinoa on a regular basis or had even heard of it for that matter?! Anyways, now you'll be ahead of the game, you're welcome.

They're saying cauliflower is going to be the hot new "it" item in the veggie world. Sure, cauliflower isn't new to most, but I think people honestly have no idea just how good this little guy is for you. I remember having to eat it at the dinner table when I was little. It was one of those veggies that I had to choke down or else I wouldn't get dessert. Now, I love the stuff. Hopefully by the end of this post you will too.



It's kind of an ugly looking vegetable, isn't it?! Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable…. that always makes me think of crucifix which then makes me think of the word horcrux for some weird reason (shout out to my HP nerds!). Anyways, it's the same family as broccoli and cabbage, it's a great source of vitamin C and full of lots of other antioxidants, another little tid-bit you might not have known. These things are all great, but one of the coolest parts (yes, i realize that even using cauliflower and cool in the same sentence makes me a total nerd) I think about cauliflower are it's anti-inflammatory properties. This little veggie has high amounts of vitamin K and Omega 3s - these aid in decreasing inflammation. That's good news for those of you that suffer from things like arthritis and diabetes. Regular consumption of this bad boy just might aid in relieving some of your symptoms. Pretty neat, huh?!

Cauliflower also is a great source of your B vitamins, manganese, and phosphorous. B vitamins are essential for growth, development and a ton of other bodily functions. Manganese is another antioxidant and phosphorous is important in the creation of RNA, DNA, and ATP (ATP is the energy your body uses to do anything). Last but not least, cauliflower is a good source of fiber… which means it cleans our your digestive system and gets rid of unnecessary substances (aka it will make you poop).

So… now you know why should eat it, but what about how? I mean, you could go the boring route and just steam it and eat it, but I can almost guarantee that means you won't be eating much of it. The good news is people have gotten really creative with their cauliflower game. I've seen it roasted, curried, made into soup, added to pasta dishes, and a personal favorite… mashed and used in place of mashed potatoes. If you google cauliflower recipes right now I guarantee you'll find a whole bunch that you'll want to try. Cauliflower is no longer boring. So, get ahead of the trend and impress your friends with your cauliflower skills at your next dinner party.

Next post we'll talk about teff... I wish I could track how many of you are going to google what that is now haha.

Thanks for reading!

Leslie

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