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What’s a superfood?
Broccoli is a superfood, a natural food that is nutritious and lower in calories. The benefits of eating broccoli every day include that it is high in antioxidants and vitamin C, calcium, glucosinolates, potassium, and soluble fiber.
Broccoli is one of the foods considered to be a superfood. It's a natural, nutrient-dense food that, if eaten every day, may help you prevent the occurrence or progression of some medical conditions.
The term superfood describes natural foods that are nutrient-dense and lower in calories. Superfoods are not recognized nutritionally as a food category, and not all healthy foods are considered superfoods. Every superfood has different health benefits, but generally, superfoods are associated with the following:
- Strengthening immunity
- Reducing inflammation
- Promoting heart health
- Lowering cholesterol levels
What is broccoli?
Broccoli is a cruciferous dark green, fiber-rich vegetable. It's a flower with a thick stalk in the middle, green leaves, and florets, some of which are purple. With only 30 calories per cup, the vegetable is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat. If prepared the right way, it can also be quite delicious.
There are different types of broccoli, including:
- Broccoli head
- Broccoli rabe
- Chinese broccoli
- Italian heirloom
Broccoli nutrition
One cup (91grams) of raw chopped broccoli has the following nutritional content:
- Calories, 31 (3 from fat)
- Total fat, 0.3 g (Saturated Fat 0 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g, Monounsaturated Fat 0 g)
- Cholesterol, 0 mg
- Sodium, 30 mg
- Potassium, 288 mg
- Carbohydrates, 6g
- Dietary fiber, 2.4 g
- Sugars, 1.5 g
- Protein, 2.5 g
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Calcium
- Iron
What are the health benefits of broccoli?
The nutrients you get from broccoli have numerous health benefits, including the following:
Vitamin C and antioxidants
Antioxidants such as beta-carotene and quercetin get rid of free radicals in your body and prevent cancer development. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, promotes good health, absorption of nutrients, and a solid immune system.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. It is vital in forming collagen, a fibrous protein that's part of the makeup of the nervous, blood, bone, cartilage, and immune systems. Vitamin C helps your body make hormones and chemical messengers in the nerves and brain.
Vitamin C protects your body from or manages medical issues such as:
Calcium
Calcium is vital for developing and keeping bones and teeth strong. Other important uses of calcium in your body include helping with blood clotting, muscle contractions, and maintaining normal heart and nerve functioning. Broccoli has the calcium you need to maintain strong bones and avoid the development of medical issues.
Your body stores most of the calcium (about 99%) in your bones, and the rest goes to the muscles, blood, and other body tissues.
Calcium helps prevent medical conditions like:
- Cardiovascular disease
- High blood pressure issues
- Colorectal cancer
- Bone conditions like osteoporosis
Glucosinolates
Glucosinolates in broccoli help strengthen your immune system, prevent getting certain types of cancer, and prevent some cancers, such as lung, colon, breast, stomach, and esophageal, from thriving. Indoles and isothiocyanates, activated products of glucosinolates, help prevent oxidative stress in your body.
Glucosinolates also contain antifungal and antibacterial properties. Your body needs them for system detoxification.
Potassium
Broccoli is potassium-rich, making it excellent at promoting your overall brain, muscle, and nervous system health. Potassium is an electrolyte, which means that it carries some electrical charges. The electrical charge stimulates some cells and nerves in your body. The primary function of potassium is to ensure your cells maintain normal fluid levels. It also helps in muscle contraction and keeping the blood pressure in a normal range.
Potassium is lost when you sweat, especially when you get physically active in the heat. That makes broccoli a great source of the vital nutrient for athletes.
Soluble fiber
Soluble fiber is vital in reducing the risk of heart disease. It does so by getting rid of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol. This type of fiber also helps keep blood sugar levels in check and thus prevent or manage diabetes. Broccoli makes a great food choice for people trying to lose weight. That's because eating soluble fiber improves satiety, making you feel full.
The fiber content in broccoli can also help you reduce the risk of getting colon cancer by promoting bowel health and regularity.
Cons of eating broccoli
Broccoli does not cause any severe side effects or health issues. But like other cruciferous vegetables that contain high fiber content, broccoli can cause gassiness or bowel irritation.
Despite the uncomfortable side effects of this superfood, its health benefits outweigh them.
Some studies have found that broccoli can affect the effectiveness of blood-thinning medications. The vitamin K in broccoli interferes with the ability of the thinner to work. Because of that, individuals taking blood-thinning drugs might be better off keeping their broccoli intake at a minimum.
Is broccoli healthier raw than cooked?
While some cooking methods may eliminate certain broccoli compounds, it doesn't necessarily mean that raw is healthier. You can eat your broccoli raw or lightly cooked.
Glucosinolates compounds are inactive in raw broccoli. They convert to active isothiocyanate compounds after mixing with enzymes when you chew. It is the isothiocyanate compounds that reduce the risk of getting cancer.
To get the best from broccoli, try blanching your broccoli first. Blanching involves dipping the broccoli in boiling water for a short moment and then cooling immediately after.
Other ways of preparing broccoli that may preserve the nutrients and enzymes in broccoli are steaming and microwaving. Steaming your broccoli for three to four minutes will cook it crisp-tender. Also, try microwaving for up to one minute and then serving.
Avoid boiling your broccoli because it erodes the water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and folate) and glucosinolate compounds. Also, the high temperatures can destroy the enzyme that activates the glucosinolates in broccoli.
