花菜(Cauliflower) - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower

Extracts:

Nutrition

Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density. As a member of the brassica family, cauliflower shares with broccoli and cabbage several phytochemicals which may be beneficial to human health, including sulforaphane, a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed which may protect against cancer. Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes.^[11] However, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.^[11]

Along with other brassica vegetables, cauliflower is a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.^[12][13] The compound also appears to work as an anti-estrogen, appearing to slow or prevent the growth of tumors of the breast and prostate.^[14] Cauliflower also contains other glucosinolates besides sulfurophane, substances which may improve the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogenic substances.^[15] A high intake of cauliflower has been found to reduce the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.^[16] Cauliflower is also a good source ofcarotenoids.^[17]

Cooking

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves anti-cancer compounds than boiling.^[11] When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded.^[18] The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces. Cauliflower is often served with a cheese sauce, as in the dish cauliflower cheese.

Low carb dieters can use cauliflower as a reasonable substitute for potatoes for while they can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel, they lack the starch of potatoes.