Below is the eighth brain food in our 10 part series on recipes for your brain: Cauliflower. Do you find yourself trying to find the right diet combination during or post treatment? Ask the End Brain Cancer Initiative, we can help plan a diet around heathy brain foods. Call, email or leave us a note today: 425-444-2215 or [email protected].
Cauliflower: Everyone’s (least) Favorite Vegetable
Cauliflower is typically not a crowd favorite (it landed at 20th among 52 top vegetables here). Whether or not it is your favorite food, the health benefits of cauliflower are undeniable. Today we want to focus on the brain benefits of cauliflower. Researchers have thoroughly investigated the health benefits of cauliflower, in particular its main nutrient, choline. Cauliflower is rich in this compound and it keeps the brain in tip top shape, especially the frontal lobe (responsible for memory, reasoning, and decision making). In humans choline converts to acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter for brain function.
Cauliflower & Choline
Cauliflower is a choline rich vegetable, the key ingredient that makes cauliflower such a powerful brain food. Many studies show the positive effects of regular consumption of phosphatidylcholine or choline. Studies also show that too little choline may have a negative effect on the brain.
Research also shows that choline supplements can help increase efficiency in the frontal lobe, the main area of the brain responsible for reasoning, decision-making and working memory.
Dr. Oz also recommends vegetables rich with choline, like cauliflower, in his article on 6 foods for brain health. And in fact, as you age, acetylcholine production declines, so consumption of choline rich foods will help your brain power year after year. There are even studies suggesting cauliflower contains cancer preventing properties, among its many other benefits. Outside of brain health, cauliflower is a wholesome vegetable with many health benefits.
How to Prepare Cauliflower
Let’s be honest, it’s quite unlikely you will be serving cauliflower as the main course of your next dinner party. Dinner parties aside, we know cooking and preparing these brain foods can get complicated especially if you are balancing treatment, family and work. We wanted to provide easy and simple recipes to help you start preparing your brain foods today! And we’ve scoured the internet to find a couple of the best recipes to get you started:
Sautéed Cauliflower & Turmeric
Whole foods has an easy, 5-minute sauteed cauliflower and turmeric recipe. We won’t go into detail about the benefits of turmeric, but a simple sauteed cauliflower can transform this not-so-popular vegetable.
Cauliflower Fritters
Food & Wine Magazine offers an easy Cauliflower Fritters recipe, more of a guilty pleasure recipe. Food On the Brain also did a feature on this recipe, substituting some of the flavors for a more savory dish.
Use Cauliflower in Your Favorite Recipes
Nutrition Stripped did a great feature on cauliflower, and they recommend several common preparation options including steamed, as a puree, a salad topping, roasted, mashed, or as a soup ingredient.
Are you a fan of cauliflower? Do you have any suggestions for a fun and easy way to prepare cauliflower? Share your recipes in the comments below!
Ask the End Brain Cancer Initiative, we are here to help you in your process to plan a diet plan around foods that are healthy for you and your brain. Call, email or leave us a note today: 1-800-574-5703 or [email protected]
