By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Cauliflower is super popular these days, and it makes the perfect low carb base for so many dishes. You can swap it out for rice, potatoes, beans, pizza crust—you name it, cauliflower can become the perfect non carb-y carb, thanks to the keto diet and low carb diets.

The great thing about cauliflower is that besides it being such a versatile low carb option for so many foods, it also is full of nutrition, fiber, and phytochemicals, so it’s the perfect choice!

Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, along with broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, cabbage, and more. These slightly bitter tasting veggies contain a lot of super phytochemicals to help fight cancer, protect your bones, balance your hormones, strengthen the immune system and detoxification.

Cancer fighting

Cruciferous vegetables have a strong cancer-fighting link, and are helpful to prevent breast cancer, colon, liver, lung and stomach cancers as well. It not only helps to slow the growth of cancer cells but it also helps to prevent the growth of tumors as well.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich in a compound called glucosinolates which are sulphur containing compounds. The sulphur is part of the reason cruciferous vegetables have such a strong odor.

Inflammation fighting

We know that inflammation is the beginning of many chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and more. Lowering our toxic intake of foods that cause inflammation, while eating more ant-inflammatory foods will go a long way towards protecting our health and longevity. Cauliflower lowers oxidative stress and fights free radicals in our body. It also contains a host of powerful antioxidants including vitamin C, to fight inflammation and protect health.

Aids in Digestion

Compounds in cauliflower including sulforaphanes, glucobrassicin, glucoraphanin and gluconasturiian, aid the liver and support detoxification. These sulfur containing compounds help with nutrient absorption, and toxin and waste removal. In addition, glucosinolates help protect the stomach, and reduce leaking gut syndrome and other digestive disorders. They also feed our good bacteria in our guts, keeping a healthy gut environment which in turn aids our immune system, and reduces unhealthy bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

Cauliflower has a high fiber content, and one cup of it cooked has about 10 percent of the recommended daily amount of fiber. Diets rich in fiber help with digestions and help keep us regular. These beneficial effects not only make life more comfortable but also help maintain colorectal health.

Helps Keep our Hormones in Balance

Eating a diet heavy in cruciferous vegetables helps to maintain the proper levels of healthy estrogen, for both men and women. An inflammatory diet and unhealthy lifestyle make hormonal imbalances very common. In addition, processed foods like soy, meat, dairy, yeast and refined sugar can all lead to high levels of a bad version of estrogen in the body. Too much estrogen can cause health issues like weight gain, hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, chronic fatigue, breast and ovarian cancer.

High Antioxidant Levels

Cauliflower contains ample amounts of vitamins C and K along with the mineral, manganese which neutralize free radicals before they can cause damage to healthy cells and contribute to disease. Vitamins C and K are considered powerful antioxidants that may help prevent conditions such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis.
One cup of cooked cauliflower provides 70% percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, 19 percent of the daily vitamin K amount and 8 percent of the daily manganese amount, according to World’s Healthiest Foods.

Can you Eat Too Much Cauliflower?

Given the prevalence of cauliflower everywhere, can you eat too much of it?

Large quantities of cruciferous vegetables can inhibit thyroid function, but only for those who are deficient in iodine.

Cauliflower and other cruciferous vegetables are known to cause some gas and bloating, especially if you eat them raw. Cooking helps to relieve the gas issue, and also helps with absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Cruciferous veggies including cauliflower do include compounds called purines which can aggravate kidney stones and gout, but generally there is little risk unless you are eating large quantities.

Roasted Cauliflower, garlic and Tahini Dip

One of my favorite ways of enjoying cauliflower is roasting it. The roasting brings out a rich, nutty flavor in cauliflower and it blends well with garlic. Check out this delicious low carb dip with sliced fresh veggies.

Ingredients

• 1medium sized head cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 head garlic
• Juice of 1 fresh lemon
• 2 tbsp tahini paste
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each ground black pepper and ground cumin

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Toss chopped cauliflower in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. On a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet, spread cauliflower. Slice off about ¼ inch off the top of the garlic head so that cloves are exposed and wrap garlic in foil and place on baking sheet with cauliflower. Roast for 45 minutes, turning cauliflower halfway. Remove from oven, unwrap garlic (being careful of steam) and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Add cauliflower, tahini to food processor. Squeeze out garlic from peel, add lemon juice and 1-2 tbsp water. Process until smooth. Serve with sliced cucumber, sliced carrots, and sliced radishes.

Get your FREE copy of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Looking for easy, tasty recipes that help you burn fat, then look no further…

This free recipe book is packed with over 80 fat-burning Keto recipes, such has mouth-watering chicken, beef, pork meals and more…

Best yet, every single recipe uses a slow cooker. Spend less than 20 minutes in your kitchen whipping up these delicious meals.

References
https://www.livescience.com/54552-cauliflower-nutrition.html
https://draxe.com/nutrition/cauliflower/

The post Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic and Tahini Dip appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Yes, we’ve all had a love affair with kale, and it’s not over yet! Kale has become so mainstream and widely accepted that a meal or event is just not complete without it!

Kale’s popularity as a superfood has not diminished, so no reason to stop eating it. The popularity of kale has helped bring about some great variations besides the regular ol’ curly leafed kale. My favorite type of kale is dinosaur kale, with its dark green bumpy texture, but there is also a Premier kale with pretty, small flat leaves; Redbor kale, with a beautiful deep purple shade and tightly curled leaves; Siberian kale with large green leaves; Red Russian kale with purple stalks and green delicate lacey leaves, and Kamome red kale that looks a little like red cabbage. All these varieties of kale are full of the same cancer fighting, health promoting compounds. In fact, kale is still the king of superfoods, and one of the most nutrient dense foods you will ever eat!

Loaded with amazing antioxidants including beta carotene, vitamin C, quercetin and kaempferol that have some amazing heart protective, blood pressuring lowering, anti-inflammatory, cancer fighting effects. Kale’s antioxidants even extend to anti-depressant and anxiety-lowering benefits.

Kale also contains bile acid sequestrants, which bind with bile to help remove harmful cholesterol. One study found that drinking kale juice increased HDL cholesterol and lowered LDL cholesterol, lowering heart attack risk in men. Also, steaming the kale will dramatically increase its bile acid binding effect, making it as efficient as some cholesterol drugs—without the unpleasant side effects.

So yeah, although kale has been around awhile, it’s still the superfood it’s always been. Enjoy these tasty kale chips. You can easily munch through a huge pile of them and not feel a twinge of guilt.

The dressing is made up of a delicious blend of lime juice, spices and tahini. Tahini is a delicious nutty tasting butter made of toasted sesame seeds. It has been used for thousands of years in many middle eastern dishes, including hummus and falafels.

Tahini is full of health benefits and is one of those versatile ingredients you should keep on hand for sauces, dressings, and dips. Tahini is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which boost brain health, strengthen the immune system, protect against all types of inflammation and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Tahini also contains plenty of magnesium, phosphorus, copper, iron, selenium and zinc, which boost the immune system and keep bones strong. Tahini’s high fat and protein content also help to keep blood glucose low, making it a great food for fat burning, keto diets, and maintaining low glucose levels.

These kale chips are so delicious, I am going to have to stop writing and go make a batch of these healthy, yummy, crunchy, delectable chips!

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of any type kale, inner ribs removed
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (or plug in your dehydrator). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
• Wash and thoroughly dry the kale, then remove the leaves from the tough inner stem. Slice or rip into large pieces. Remember- they’ll shrink as they dehydrate so don’t go too small. Place in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the kale and coat each leaf thoroughly. It’s messy, but the best way to do this is with your hands.
• Spread the chips in a single layer on the baking sheet with parchment paper or in a dehydrator. Kale baked in the oven will take up to an hour (start checking on them after 30 minutes. The dehydrator will take approximately 8 hours.
• Chips are ready when the seasonings are completely dry and the kale is crispy.

Get your FREE copy of the Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Looking for easy, tasty recipes that help you burn fat, then look no further…

This free recipe book is packed with over 80 fat-burning Keto recipes, such has mouth-watering chicken, beef, pork meals and more…

Best yet, every single recipe uses a slow cooker. Spend less than 20 minutes in your kitchen whipping up these delicious meals.

References
https://foodfacts.mercola.com/tahini.html

The post Kale Chips with Tahini Dressing appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.