Keeping your blood sugar levels in check can be a task sometimes. However, filing up on vegetables is the best thing you can do if you have diabetes. However, nutritionists often recommend having colorful vegetables that are orange, deep green, and red.
Although, don’t follow this broad spectrum as you might miss out on eating the nutritious and magnificent white, orange and green cauliflowers. But, are you wondering if cauliflower and diabetes go together because a lot of people told you to stay away from white foods?
Well, cauliflower is an exception. It is a low carbohydrate and low-calorie vegetable that provides many alternatives to the starchy foods you must avoid in your diet. Also, if you like to add color to your food, you can use orange, purple, and even green cauliflowers.
Is Cauliflower Good for Diabetes?
All diabetics are encouraged to have non-starchy vegetables. In fact, The American Diabetes Association recommends having at least 3 to 5 servings of non-starchy vegetables. Alternatively, you can calculate this by having vegetable half of your plate. Non-starchy vegetables like cauliflower are highly nutritional and filled with minerals, vitamins, fiber, and phytochemicals.
Cauliflower Nutrition Facts
- The vegetable is really low in calories- 29 per 1 cup cooked
- Cauliflower glycemic index is very low- 15 or less
- It is an excellent source of vitamin C as it provides 73% of the recommended daily value in serving.
- The vegetable is a good source of Vitamin K amongst various other vitamins and minerals.
- Cauliflower offers glucosinolates which are a unique group of phytochemicals.
- It is filled with antioxidants.
- Cauliflower glycemic load is low- ½ cup of chopped cauliflower is 1
Benefits Of Cauliflower For Diabetes
- The vitamin C present in cauliflower behaves as an antioxidant and fights cell damage. It further supports the immune system and healthy skin. It is also the main element of brain health, and hence, it helps improve the neurotransmitters that regulate emotions and moods.
- Vitamin K is present in the vegetable, and it helps in aiding bone health and preventing blood clotting.
- Cauliflower has glucosinolates that help with inflammation, digestive, cardiovascular and immune systems.
- The additional antioxidants help in fighting cell damage. Thus, cauliflower and diabetes are a good combination.
Apart from diabetes, eating cauliflower regularly improves blood cholesterol levels as well. It shows a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases and decreased risk of cancer. It is a good thing for diabetics as people with high blood sugar levels have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. A lot of research suggests that cauliflower reduces obesity in middle-aged women too.
It is important to remember that certain nutrients of cauliflower might be lost in cooking, but others are more bioavailable, which means that your body can absorb them better. Hence, you can consume this vegetable in its raw as well as cooked form.
How to cook cauliflower for diabetes?
Cauliflower can be consumed in a lot of different ways. You can prepare a white or green cauliflower soup. Apart from that, you can roast the different variants in olive oil and add them to your salad bowl. You can even get creative and dice cauliflower in the form of rice or couscous. Have it with a curry or stir fry vegetable.
FAQ
Does cauliflower raise your blood sugar levels?
Foods that have a low glycemic index are favorable for people who have diabetes. In the case of cauliflower, not only the glycemic index level is low, but the glycemic load is also less. Hence, the total rise in one’s blood sugar levels will be below. Thus, cauliflower does not raise your blood sugar levels.
Does cauliflower lower blood sugar levels?
Cauliflower is highly healthy and nutritious, and so you can include it in your daily diet. However, it does not lower your blood sugar levels. The best part is that it is less in calories and thus, you can fill up on it. It merely offers the necessary nutrients that your body requires. The good part about this cruciferous vegetable is that it does not raise your blood sugar levels. A ½ cup of cooked cauliflower has 5 grams of carbohydrates, and you are allowed around 15 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Can diabetics have cauliflower pizza?
Cauliflower pizza is diabetes-friendly as compared to traditional pizzas, which have flour crust. When you consume fewer carbohydrates, then there are lesser chances of your glucose levels spiking. It is important to note that a regular slice of pizza can have 30g to 40g of carbohydrates, while a cauliflower pizza can have 3g to 5g of carbohydrates per slice.
Is cauliflower good for gestational diabetes?
Yes, people with gestational diabetes can have cauliflower as it is low in carbohydrates. People with this type of diabetes must avoid foods with high carbohydrate density as that can create many problems.
Is there any sugar in cauliflower?
Cauliflower does contain natural sugar levels, but it is as low as 2g. This is normal, and hence, people with diabetes can consume this delicious vegetable.
Conclusion
Cauliflower is a readily available vegetable that comes with vitamins and minerals. You can have it in varied ways as the vegetable has a flexible taste and will go with many combinations. Steam the florets or simply bake them as a side dish. You can make a curry or drink it in your soup. The options are endless. The best part is that you can even make a cauliflower pizza and have it guilt-free.
Diet for diabetics is as it is limited and thus, it is a good idea to find delicious alternatives of foods. You can choose to add cauliflower to your diet to make it more creative and exciting. To conclude, you can add all the variants of cauliflower regularly to your diet.