SubscribeBroccoli-Haters: Here's What You're Missing
Broccoli is a superfood in every sense of the word. If you aren't eating broccoli and other cruciferous veggies - here's what you're missing out on;
A cup of cooked broccoli contains almost twice as much vitamin C as an orange and almost as much calcium as a cup of whole milk - all in just 44 calories! Broccoli also contains the phytonutrients sulforaphane, indoles, kaempferol and isothiocyanates (they'll be a test later). These difficult-to-pronounce compounds have significant anti-cancer and other health effects. Here's what the literature says about it;
- Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially those of the lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder.
- A Johns Hopkins study found that broccoli consumption prevented the development of tumors by 60% and it reduced the size of tumors that did develop by 75%.
- Men who ate more than a serving of either broccoli or cauliflower each week almost halved their risk of developing advanced-stage prostate cancer
- Broccoli appear to have a unique ability to eliminate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) - a bacteria responsible for ulcers. It has even been shown to eliminate Helicobacter when resistant to antibiotics.
- Crucifers, including broccoli provide significant cardiovascular benefit. Those who diets most frequently included broccoli, tea, onions, and apples-the richest sources of flavonoids-gained a 20% reduction in their risk of heart disease.
- Those who diets most frequently included broccoli, tea, onions, and apples-the richest sources of flavonoids-gained a 20% reduction in their risk of heart disease.
- Those who ate broccoli more than twice a week had a 23% lower risk of cataracts compared to men who consumed this antioxidant-rich vegetable less than once a month.
- Women with high kaempferol intake (found in broccoli), were found to have a 40% lower risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women with the lowest kaempferol intake.
How Much?
For Cancer protection, it is recommended we eat 3-5 servings of cruciferous veggies per week.
How to prepare them:
Broccoli's nutrients are best released when they are lightly steamed. Toss them in a vegetable steamer/basket and put them on the stove or in the microwave. You can also enjoy them raw, in soups, stir fries, casseroles and just about anything (except ice cream - that's just gross).
Find broccoli boring or not particularly tasty? Try these ways to liven up your broccoli experience:
- Add butter/margarine or olive oil (not much, though)
- Sprinkle chili flakes on them
- Try a light ranch dressing or a lemon-dill mustard
- Drizzle with lemon juice and sesame seeds
References:
- Fahey JW, Haristoy X, Dolan PM et al. Sulforaphane inhibits extracellular, intracellular, and antibiotic-resistant strains of Helicobacter pylori and prevents benzopyrene-induced stomach tumors. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002 May 28;99(11):7610-5 2002.
- Kawamori T, Tanaka T, Ohnishi M, et al. Chemoprevention of azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis by dietary feeding of S-methyl methane thiosulfonate in male F344 rats. Cancer Res 1995 Sep 15;55(18):4053-8. PMID:13230.
- Huxley RR, Neil HAW. The relation between dietary flavonol intake and coronary heart disease mortality: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 904-908.
- Kirsh VA, Peters U, Mayne ST, Subar AF, Chatterjee N, Johnson CC, Hayes RB. Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Prospective study of fruit and vegetable intake and risk of prostate cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007 Aug 1;99(15):1200-9.
- Kleiner, Susan M. The Powerfood Nutrition Plan. Rodale Press, 2006.
- World's Healthiest Foods website: www.whfoods.com
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I love it with my BRAGG LIQUID AMINOS spritzed on top!
ReplyThose who are not keen on cruciferous vegetables don`t have to eat too much in order to stay away from bladder cancer. All you need to do is to eat broccoli at least three times per month. I read about this at http://www.projectweightloss.com.
ReplyOoh, broccoli. I think I have literally eaten it for every meal on its own: breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
ReplyAs broccoli lover, you may find some broccoli greener and more crunchy than some others. I find this in the supermarket that the imported broccoli (dont know from which country) is greener and tastes more crunchy (surely more tasty) than the local product of my country. I have no idea why. I wonder if they carry different nutrients.
ReplyWoohoo! Broccoli and cauliflauer are two of the only veggies DH will eat! At least they're good ones.
ReplyHa, mine too, Heather! My husband eats broccoli pretty often and it's the only veggie he'll eat willingly (except potatoes). So I try to encourage him to eat it whenever possible!
ReplyToss lightly in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, roast. In fact, that's what you should do with most vegetables, as far as I'm concerned. (Though, broccoli is particularly good if you also sprinkle on some garlic powder.)
ReplyNice! I'm going to try that this week!
ReplySuper simple: toss the broccoli (and any other veggie you may like) cut into bite size pieces into a heavy duty ziplock bag. Add a tablespoon of a light vinegrette salad dressing to the bag and toss to coat veggies. Open ziplock bag just a bit and put bag in microwave on a microwave safe plate for 2 minutes.
ReplyVoila! Deliciously steamed veggies.
Should you be cooking stuff in plastic (ziploc) bags? I thought that was a no-no.
ReplyBig huge no-no...but the biggest is the microwave.
ReplyCite (reliable) sources, kthx.
ReplyDon't know what the problem would be with the microwave, but the concern with the ziploc bag would be that when heated, compounds used in making plastic would leach into the food. SE Johnson says the bags are food-grade safe, but with all the concern about BPA's I'd avoid it. It's easy enough to steam broccoli in a casserole or glass dish with a couple of spoonfuls of water in the bottom. There are lots of sources if you google it - some for and some against using the bags. But I'd err on the side of caution with this one.
ReplyBPA's are in HARD plastics (polycarbonates) or those with the number 7 recycling logo
ReplyNot that ziplocs might not have an endocrine disruptor in them. So far about 87,000 endocrine disruptors have been identified.
BPA has been identified as estrogenic for MANY years now...i think over 50, but no one cared until now.
Just think about all the other disruptors your exposed to. Supposedly perfluorentated compounds are in everyones body (including polar bears and pengiuns) thanks to the air we breathe.....didn't anyone wonder why 3M suddenly stopped selling Scotchguard type products?
This is just the beginning.
Moral of the story...stop drinking the contaminated water, eating the contaminated food, and breathing the contaminated air....and good luck :)
ReplyI know BPA's are used as hardeners in plastics - I just don't know what else they have in these bags. We could all make ourselves crazy trying to avoid everything that may or may not be bad for us, I know. But in cases like this, where there's an easy way around using something that may not be so great for you, I go for the alternative. Also, I try to be pretty green, so I pick the reusable container over the disposable plastic. In fact, I try to avoid extra plastic wherever I can.
Anyways - back to broccoli.
ReplyI'd be more concerned about the bag melting and getting plastic in the food...gross. I never microwave stuff in baggies. I'd much rather use glass containers in the microwave because they're reusable and they don't get stained if I put tomato products in them.
Replyyeah, once upon a time I had saran on something in the microwave and it melted into the food - yuck, so that's when I stopped using any kind of plastic in there. Plus - plastic stinks. Ever walk into Walmart or (in Canada) Zellers and noticed a distinct odor - it's the smell of tons of plastic. And it smells worse when it's hot.
ReplyThey make ziplock bags that are just fine for cooking in the microwave. Read the box and they will provide you information on which ones are safe for cooking.
ReplyI blend broccoli in my protein/oatmeal shakes.
ReplyInteresting idea... do you taste the broccoli or do you find it's fairly well hidden when blended?
ReplyI am able to taste it slightly. It is hard to get a lot of calories in the morning, so I drink most of them.
ReplyI'll give it a shot! I don't eat many veggies in the am so it sounds like a good way to get calories + a good serving of veg.
ReplyYuck... I am one of those who just hates broccoli.. and I always have to force myself to eat it. Thats about the only vegetable I hate though.. the smell of it makes me hurl.
ReplyTo anyone who says Broccoli is yuck, you're both right.... and wrong at the same time!! Raw = yuck. Cooked = average. Cooked with Cheese Sauce on top = presto !!
There are loads of recipes for nice cheese sauces out there, just let your google do the walking.
I heard from another website (reputable I can assure you) that the deeper the green colour in the vegetable the better it is for you as it has more nutrients and anti-oxidants. Classified as "super foods". Funnily enough, the older you get the more you realise old wives tales were actually tailored good advice >> i.e. eat your greens.
ReplyYou have to be careful with cheese sauce though...too much of it will add too many calories to the broccoli. You'll still get the cancer-fighting benefits, I guess, but there are so many healthy ways to eat broccoli that won't add to your waistline.
If you think broccoli is icky, you obviously have never had it roasted. I put a bunch of broccoli and cauliflower in a big zip bag with about a teaspoon of olive oil and some garlic, a touch of salt, and some rosemary leaves. Shake it up, put it on a cookie sheet and put it in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or so. The broccoli and cauliflower develops a wonderful nutty flavor and tastes awesome!!
ReplyWhy not deep fry it too?!
ReplyTry roasted broccoli if you are hesitant about its flavor. It crisps up the florets nicely, and with a little olive oil, salt and pepper it is a crunchy and delicious side at dinner. I could eat a whole head. Try it with asparagus too -- I used to be iffy on these vegetables before I started roasting them. 10 minutes at 350 is all it takes -- they are still green and crunchy with just a hint of crispiness when they come out. Sprinkle with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a real treat.
ReplyWell, even though I am pessimistic about the ideas given to me on a yummy way to cook the vegetable, I guess giving it at least one more try will not kill me.. thanks for all the suggestions.. maybe if the post is still up, I will give an update.
ReplyI love steamed broccoli, but I get in trouble when I have it because of the smell.
It honestly doesn't smell that bad to me, but other people just gag.
Replyi've never had a problem with the smell of it unless its been over cooked to that horrible mushy dull green.
I get a pot of salted water boiling rapidly, then drop in the broc. watch it, and when its at its most vibrant green i get them straight out and into icy water to stop the cooking. the result? crisp fresh broc without then stench!
ReplyThat trick works really well with greens too...broccoli rabe, collards, mustard greens, etc...if you blanch them and rinse them before you cook them, you rinse away most of the bitter compounds that most people find offensive.
ReplyI'm not a fan of broccoli, but I guess I'll try to eat more of it now. Thanks! :)
ReplyBroccoli is my favourite vegetable! In residence, I ate it almost everyday because I was going for a mass building diet. I simply had chicken breast, broccoli, and rice. I didn't really have any sauces on them and people thought I was crazy to eat like that.
ReplyLove steamed broccoli. My fav veggie!
I'm going to give it a go this year and try to grow my own broccoli in my backyard. Hopefully, the broccoli will lure some wild rabbits there as well, and I can trap them, skin them and eat them along with my fresh broccoli.
Good way to save some cash on meat and veggies.
ReplyWhen you grow your own broccolli... be careful because it houses lots of bugs... simply soak in brine (salted water) for a few minutes, rinse and then prepare... super yummy~~
ReplySweet. Thanks for the advice. I'll do that. I have been wondering about bugs in gardens.
ReplyIf you don't like broccoli that much, you can get some (not sure about all) of the same benefits by eating broccoli sprouts. They are pretty tasty, IMO (and I don't like broccoli that much), and if you put them on your salad you won't be able to taste them at all.
ReplyI love broccoli and all other cruciferous veggies. For some reason, I just love the sharp, sort of pungent flavor they have. I usually eat my broccoli raw or steamed, but I also like it in stir fry or roasted. Good to know that the sulfur compounds in the broccoli help fight cancer...of course, in my husband, they also produce some RANK gas. If you're worried about that, take some Beano before eating it :)
Replyi use the broccoli slaw thats ready to go just add a light dressing. tastes much better than the cabbage variety!
ReplyI love broccoli too. Sticking to a diet isn't always easy, especially when you have to give up your favorite foods for low-calorie alternatives. The best way to stay on a diet is to find healthy snacks and low-calorie diet foods you enjoy. Learn how to avoid emotional eating."
ReplyI loooooove broccoli! It's my absolute favorite pizza topping, and I recommend trying it if you've never had it. Yum!
ReplyYou know, that reminds me, I saw a George Carlin stand up show a while back. He mentioned in his show that everyone should eat broccoli, and how it helps against cancer. Everyone laughed, a shame because he really was being honest! Out of all the recipes for roasted broccoli, no one likes to try theirs with garlic? I hope the next piece is about blueberries. Alton brown did a show on it not too long ago. Very enlightening + entertaining. Yum!
ReplyBroccoli offers excellent protection against hormone driven cancers.
ReplyI just learn a new way to make my broccoli yummy from a local newspaper, suggested by Nutrition and Dietetic Unit of a private hospital in my town.
Fried Broccoli coated with dough of minced prawn,tapioca starch, wheat flour and egg. Add garlic, pepper, salt, curry powder.
500 gr broccoli, 150 gr flour, 1 egg, prawn 100 gr, water 100 ml for 5 servings. and the nutrient fact: 225 calorie of energy, 11 gr of protein, 8 gr of fat, 30 gram of carbohydrate.
It tastes awesome that my kids feel like to try it. (They used to say no-no to broccoli with 'plain' outlook)
ReplyBroccoli is such a great super food. Nature is amazing in creating these "perfect" foods. Gotta love it!
ReplyAlas, I cannot stand broccoli at all. I hate the taste and the smell makes me want to throw up. I refuse to let anyone cook it in my house. Cheese, butter or other sauces don't help either. What is a good substitute for us haters?
ReplyI have to wonder if the people who have the gene that makes broccoli taste bitter wouldn't be better off staying away from it? We evolved that bitter taste sensitivity to protect us from toxins. Maybe it's only toxic to those people. Other veggies have the same nutrients.
ReplyI read about this at http://www.pro-weight-loss.com
Reply