I have tried cauliflower “rice” with other curries and I really didn’t notice too much of a difference in taste. If you are a rice fanatic and you need your rice daily, you will definitely notice a difference – but consider swapping it out occasionally for nutritious variety and gain. And if you don’t eat it every day, and can add more flavor and taste with side dishes, I think it is a phenomenal swap! Here’s the nutritional breakdown
| 100g of each | |||||||||
| Fiber | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Sugars | Fat | Vitamins | Minerals | ||
| Cauliflower | 3 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0.4 | C,B-6,Folate | K,Mn | |
| White Rice | 0.4 | 130 | 2.7 | 28.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | Folate, Thiamin, Niacin, B-6 | Mn, Se, Fe | |
| Brown Rice | 3.4 | 362 | 7.5 | 76.2 | 1.1 | 2.7 | B-6,Folate, Niacin | Cu, Mg, Mn, P, Zn | |
So choosing cauliflower over white rice helps us because our bodies need more fiber, and cauliflower packs more than 7x what white rice gives us. Most of us would rather spend our calories elsewhere than rice or cauliflower, and cauliflower is 5x less calories – for the same 100 gram comparison. Cauliflower is 5x lower in carbs. It provides some natural sugar – which is okay, and it provides some vitamin C and potassium which is needed for our immune systems daily.
Other fringe benefits include faster prep time because it is actually faster to food process and oven roast cauliflower than to boil long-grain white rice. Cauliflower is part of the cruciferous family of vegetables touted for their anti-cancer properties. Other health benefits for cauliflower over white rice include collagen production, good blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, bone health, and a metabolism boost!
So overall this particular swap is a great one!
Why would someone not want to choose cauliflower over rice? If you have a food sensitivity to cauliflower, you’re better off switching between white and brown rice! If you have thyroid issues, you have to watch overeating of goitrogenous vegetables, like those in the cruciferous family. If the cauliflower is cooked, it should not pose a health issue.
To make cauliflower rice, simply process the cauliflower (food processor) until it is rice-sized. Then boil in stock or saute with other flavors for 2 minutes. Voila! you have a cauliflower rice.
