What to eat now: The budget veg with more vitamin C than an orange

March may herald the arrival of spring, but if you’re trying to eat seasonally, it’s still mostly all about winter vegetables. Cauliflower is in season in the winter months in the UK and at its best from January to March, so there’s not long left to make sure you don’t miss out.

Despite its modest appearance, it’s absolutely packed with a whole range of exciting nutrients. Part of the brassica family, cauliflower sits right up there with cabbage, kale and broccoli in terms of its health benefits, which is one of the reasons it’s a staple food in my book Va Va Voom: The 10-Day Energy Diet .

Three great reasons to eat plenty of cauliflower

It’s packed with immune-boosting antioxidants, containing more vitamin C per 100g than an orange and it’s an excellent source of beta carotene which is important for skin and eye health.  It’s another immune boosting antioxidant. If you’re struggling with a lingering cough or cold, tucking into cauliflower is a great way to support your immune system.

keeping your digestion in top working order.Sulphur compounds found in cauliflower support the detoxification processes in the liver and promote the production of beneficial bacteria in the gut,

It could help regulate levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood by binding bile acids and reducing fat absorption.

How cauliflower can boost energy

Low GI cauliflower contains far less starch than rice, pasta or bread and is packed with fibre. This makes it the ideal vegetable to balance your blood sugar and keep you going for longer, avoiding those energy crashes which can have you nodding off at your work station.  It’s also a great source of energy-boosting B vitamins .

Best ways to eat cauliflower

Extensive boiling can lose up to 75 per cent of those all-important sulphur compounds, so try steaming it for a maximum of 10 minutes to retain the nutrients.

Try blitzing the florets for 30 seconds in a blender to create a low-starch rice that you could microwave or stir-fry (or you could cheat and buy a pouch of pre-prepared cauliflower rice!)

Cauliflower florets dipped in hummus or guacamole make a great low GI snack.

Jackie Lynch is a Registered Nutritional Therapist and Author of Va Va Voom: the 10-Day Energy Diet (Headline 14.99).

Visit her website at www.well-well-well.co.uk or you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram via @WellWellWellUK.