GAINS OF BROCCOLI

Broccoli might have gotten a bad reputation as being one of the most dreaded vegetables for children, cooking your broccoli in a tasty stir-fry manner or having it boiled, steamed or baked with great-tasting accompaniments such as a good tasting creamy cheese will definitely make it an unforgettable experience.

Broccoli can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fibre-related components in broccoli do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they’ve been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it’s easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels.

Broccoli has a strong, positive impact on our body’s detoxification system. Studies have identified one of the key reasons for this detox benefit which are the three glucosinolate phytonutrients found in a special combination in broccoli.

These phytonutrients are able to support all steps in the body’s detox process, including activation, neutralization, and elimination of unwanted contaminants. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are the detox-regulating molecules made from broccoli’s glucosinolates, and they help control the detox process at a genetic level.

Broccoli may help us solve our vitamin D deficiency epidemic. When large supplemental doses of vitamin D are needed to offset deficiency, ample supplies of vitamin K and vitamin A help keep our vitamin D metabolism in balance. Broccoli has an unusually strong combination of both vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and vitamin K.

For people faced with the need to rebuild vitamin D stores through vitamin D supplements, broccoli may be an ideal food to include in the diet. Its high level of vitamin K , coupled with calcium makes it important for bone health and prevention of osteoporosis.

Broccoli is a particularly rich source of a flavonoid called kaempferol. Research has shown ability of kaempferol to lessen impact of allergy-related substances. This kaempferol connection helps to explain the unique anti-inflammatory benefits of broccoli.

We usually feel that non-fatty vegetables are not good sources of omega-3 fats, but we may need to change our thinking in this area. While it is true that there are limited amounts of omega-3s in vegetables like broccoli, it is equally true that their levels of omega-3s can still play an important role in balancing our inflammatory system activity.

While we would not want to depend on broccoli as our sole source of dietary omega-3s, we still get important anti-inflammatory benefits from the omega-3s it provides.

Culled from nigeriaworld.com, picture from google