We do confess to being a bit crazy about cauliflower. As a family we cook it in most of our dishes (as ‘wings’, in curries, as ‘steaks’), and that is why it is included in our homemade wholefood recipe Plant Powered Feast as we love it so much!
Cauliflower comes from the Latin words caulis, meaning “cabbage,” and flos, meaning “flower.” It is a part of the Brassica or cruciferous family of vegetables (which includes brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage), named for their unique cross-shaped leaves. Like flowers and cabbages, cauliflower comes in different colours, not just the white varieties we usually buy in the UK.
Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse, offering an array of vitamins and minerals that are excellent for your dog’s health. Boiling cauliflower causes it to lose some of its vitamins and minerals in the cooking water which is why you should not throw that nutrient rich water away but keep it for them to drink or store in your freezer for use later.
Cauliflower is rich in micronutrients like phosphorus, potassium, vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K1, as well as antioxidants. Like most other plant foods, it also contains small amounts of all nine essential amino acids, so definitely worth including in your dog’s diet even as a protein source!
Cauliflower and the other cruciferous vegetables contain an extensively studied set of plant compounds that turn into the powerful cancer-fighting phytonutrient sulforaphane.
This sulforaphane is also responsible for the strong smell of cruciferous vegetables (nature’s way of warding off pests). Sulforaphane is a potent antioxidant with anti-inflammatory, brain-protective, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties.
All necessary in our pets and even more important in our elderly dogs to ward off doggy dementia as well as keeping all the cells in their body healthy and fending off tumours by inhibiting cancer cell growth.
Why else should we buy cauliflower?
As for its global warming impact, a 2019 study in the UK found that cauliflower was among a few vegetables with a low impact, based on factors such as farming practices, storage, packing, and transportation.
Remember that all parts of the cauliflower can be eaten – the leaves, stalk and flowers (a tip given by top chefs) so even more beneficial to the environment as nothing goes to waste!
The leaves should not be thrown away, but can be fed (yes even raw) to your dog to fully support their gut microbiome - our own Ruff loves the leaves as shown below!
My dog is carrying extra weight - what is the easiest way to help with weight loss?
There is such a simple solution if your dog carries extra weight AND you want your dog to have the healthiest wholefood homemade addition to their diet. Simply buy a pack of frozen vegetables with the addition of cauliflower and feed that steamed or cooked with each meal to offer a vibrant mix of healthy plant fibres and nutrients.
Read here what vegan vet Dr Arielle feeds her own dog Ruff
💚 IF YOU ARE FEEDING PLANT-BASED TO YOUR DOG, YOU CAN BE SO PROUD 💚
