In the world of sports, we can get used to a tribal nature – a means of looking at anyone on “your” team with a halo, and anyone on “their” team with a set of devil horns. This is common; we become used to seeing one as good and one as bad. However, this tribalism has often become a problem in other walks of life – and in no walk of life is it more damaging than diet. You see, many people actually treat their foods like a sports team!
They will eat mass quantities of X, but absolutely none of Y because they see them as opposed to one another. A good example of this comes from two major foods on a green lovers plate: cauliflower, and broccoli. Both are great for us, and both taste wonderful in the right dish. When you see the vitamins in cauliflower and broccoli, too, you will understand why you should be eating both, not one or the other.
Are broccoli and cauliflower the same thing?
Despite the fact they are both cruciferous vegetables, they are not the same thing. The look, the taste, the texture, the profile…everything is different. Despite being from the same family of plants as one another, they do have many differences in how they work in our bodies. However, you can get a nice mixture and overlap in vitamin and mineral intake if you were to eat both.
The main thing to note, though, is that the similarities are very important. They are both rich in nutrients such as potassium and copper, they are both filling yet low calorie foods that give you good energy, and they are also rich in dietary fiber – something that is essential to long-term health. They are not the same thing – similar, maybe, but not the same.
What vitamins are in cauliflower?
One thing to note is that both cauliflower and broccoli are nutritionally dense foods that are loaded with goodness. This includes things like Vitamin C, which is essential to a strong immune system, and also a large collection of micronutrients that our bodies need such as potassium, folate, and manganese.
The one thing to note about cauliflower is that it tends to be seen as the preferred option to broccoli for a lot of people due to its texture. When it comes to vitamins and the like, though, you will find that you get a bit more of your crucial B Vitamins – especially B6 – than you would get from a piece of broccoli.
However, you will also get a higher intake of something called pantothenic acid, which is an essential ingredient in a happy and healthy body overall. However, you will also find that it is a high source of other key acids, including the very important but often under-invested vanillic acid. These are all great for our bodies, and tend to give us a massive kick in terms of our health.
Which vitamins are in broccoli?
One thing you will find with broccoli is that it has a similar profile to cauliflower, but you will also find that it is a touch higher than cauliflower when it comes to more micro options. For example, broccoli is lauded as an eyesight aid because it comes with a high quantity of lutein – even more than you would get in most cauliflower.
However, they are also very rich when it comes to antioxidant intake so you can get plenty of health boosts from both. Key vitamins found in your broccoli, though, include Vitamin C, K, and B6.
Which his better for you? Cauliflower or broccoli?
The differences are often in the quantity, with one food often providing a slight boost over the other when it comes to certain vitamin benefits. However, we would recommend eating a happy serving of both. Perhaps alternate and have one during one meal and the other during another meal.
A bit of variety is always the spice of life when it comes to this kind of food. So, why not do yourself a favour and invest in a healthy and satisfying bunch of both cauliflower and broccoli the next time you are shopping around?