Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowering head and stalk are eaten as a vegetable.
The word broccoli comes from the Italian plural of broccoli, which means “the flowering crest of a cabbage”, and is the diminutive form of broccoli, meaning “small nail” or “sprout”. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable and is closely related to kale, cauliflower, turnips, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, collard greens, rutabaga, and cabbage.
Broccoli is a nutritional powerhouse full of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and grams, not only is broccoli enjoyable but there are nutritious ways it can be incorporated into your diet plan, broccoli is a tasty vegetable with several benefits, it has a reputation for being a superfood, it is low in calories and super filling as well.
Most vegan adopts this nutritious vegetable for its taste and benefits, there are plenty of ways you can make broccoli which would make it easy to include in your diet.
The nutritional benefits of broccoli make it an essential vegetable, in this article, learn more about the health benefits of broccoli and tips for cooking and serving it.
Is cooked broccoli good for you?
Broccoli can be eaten cooked or raw, both are perfectly healthy however it is believed that raw broccoli is more healthy, cooking before eating is crucial to every diet, it helps the body digest food without expending lots of energy but research shows that some veggies including broccoli are healthier raw than cooked reason being that those who ate the raw broccoli absorbed sulforaphane faster and in higher amounts compared to those who ate it cooked.
Raw broccoli delivers a healthy dose of sulforaphane a compound that is thought to thwart cancer by helping to stimulate the body’s detoxifying enzymes. If you plan to eat broccoli cooked then it is recommended to steam it until it is cooked but still crunchy. Broccoli is the best to go for if you are looking for a vegetable that offers the most nutritional value.
How to cook broccoli
Broccoli is high in many nutrients including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium, and the best way to retain most of these nutrients when cooking is gentle steaming, this method of cooking will furthermore promote its health benefits.
Boiling broccoli for too long might lead to loss of vital nutrients hence the best way to cook broccoli is by steaming which makes it more nutritious and effective to the body. If you do not like having your broccoli raw then there are various ways it could be cooked and these are also ways to keep it healthy.
How to blanch broccoli
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, while waiting for the water to boil, prepare a large of a bowl of ice water and set it next to the stove
- When the water is boiled, add 2 tablespoons of sea salt to it
- Add the broccoli and wait for 60-90 seconds
- Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and drop into the bowl of ice water
- When the broccoli is completely dry, drain and pat dry. This is ready to be eaten, it is the perfect method when you want and crispy, crunchy broccoli to be eaten as a salad or drizzled with lemon juice and served as a side dish.
How to boil broccoli
- Bring a large pot filled with 6 cups of water to a boil
- Once the water is boiling, add 2 teaspoons of sea salt and return to boil
- Add the broccoli florets and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Strain and serve
How to steam broccoli
- Bring a pan of water to a boil, there should be about 1 inch of water, add the florets to the pan when the water starts to bubble
- Cover the pot
- Cook the florets to 405 minutes or until it turns tender. This is a great method to be used for a baked potato recipe.
How to roast broccoli
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees
- In a separate bowl, toss broccoli florets with a drizzle of olive oil or your favorite cooking oil, and sea salt or pepper if you desire
- Spread the florets onto a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper
- Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender, the edges will get a little brown but will taste flavourful. You can add different kinds of spice to roasted broccoli to give it a more incredible taste and benefits.
Is eating broccoli everyday good for you?
Broccoli has a reputation as a superfood and it is bursting with fiber, it is low in calories and a single serving of broccoli contains 3.8 grams which are roughly 15% of the daily recommended value.
Eating broccoli every day causes no harm whatsoever, in fact, it makes you more healthy. Eating broccoli regularly can help you eat less and feel full, it can help fight obesity-related disease, provides your body with vitamin C which is important for growing and repairing tissue all over the body.
Consuming broccoli regularly helps destroy inflammation, it is low in calories and high in fiber which makes eating it every day very healthy to your overall body system, broccoli is also very high in calcium. Eating broccoli every day can help you get the benefits of protection from bacteria and it can be eaten raw or cooked depending on how you like it.
Will eating broccoli make me fat?
Excessive consumption of broccoli is less likely to make you gain weight, you might rather burn some fat with broccoli, broccoli is very high low in starch and carbohydrates, but might cause you to gain weight gain over time, low nutrient broccoli which contains more vitamin C but fewer calories, the study did not show that consumption of extra vegetable can lead to weight gain, in general, one cup of broccoli a day ios safe to take.
8 Health Benefits Of Eating Broccoli
What are the health benefits of eating broccoli? There is no denying the benefits of broccoli, this nutritional vegetable is no joke, and having it included in your diet plan might be a good decision, most might still wonder what its benefits are, below are 8 important benefits of broccoli.
1. Boosting Immune Health
Broccoli contains photochemical which makes it great for the immune system, it is a good source of lutein, which is a compound antioxidant, and sulforaphane which is a very potent antioxidant. Broccoli is supercharged with vitamins and minerals, good nutrition is important for a healthy immune system and broccoli offers all of the perfect nutrients. Broccoli also contains additional nutrients including some magnesium, phosphorus, a little zinc, and iron.
2. Aiding Digestion
Research on broccoli shows it to be helpful for digestion, it is a superfood that aids digestion, it has nearly 1 gram of fiber per 10 calories, it aids in digestion by keeping your stomach mining healthy, it helps get rid of constipation. The sulforaphane contained in broccoli helps keep the stomach bacteria.
Broccoli is known to improve the gut system, it reduces inflammation in the colon. Broccoli should be eating raw to get the full health benefits for taking care of your digestive system.
3. Improving Skin Health
What you consume plays lots of vital roles in how your skin turns out to be, broccoli can do wonders for your skin, it is full of many vitamins and minerals, which are important for skin health. Broccoli contains lutein, a carotenoid that works like beta-carotene, this lutein helps protect your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause your skin to become dry and wrinkled.
4. Reducing The Risk Of Diabetes
Broccoli can help reduce the risk of diabetes, broccoli is among the healthiest form of vegetable that helps reduce the risk of diabetes, it contains vitamin A and C, potassium and fiber, the tasty green florets of broccoli is full of sulforaphane, a compound that can lower the risk of type two diabetes, broccoli could hold the key to slowing and potentially reversing the disease.
5. May Slow Mental Decline and Support Healthy Brain Function
When it comes to heart health, one of the ways to keep it healthy is to eat nutritious foods and broccoli is associated with reducing the risk of brain injury. Broccoli helps reduce mental decline associated with aging, a compound in broccoli that helps in reducing the incidence of brain injury and reduced inflammation or neural tissue following a stroke-like event.
6. Improving Bone Health
Broccoli is a good source of vitamin K and calcium and also many of the nutrients found in broccoli are known to support healthy bones and may prevent bone-related, the sulforaphane in broccoli may aid in preventing osteoarthritis and it also contains phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin A and C which are necessary for healthy bones.
7. May Protect Against Some Certain Type Of Cancer
Broccoli contains various bioactive compounds that may reduce cell damages caused by certain chronic diseases, eating it raw provides the body with lots of nutrients that might protect against some type of cancer like, breast, gastric/stomach, renal/kidney, bladder, prostate, and colorectal. Broccoli is, however, isn’t strong enough to make definitive health claims regarding broccoli’s role in cancer treatment or prevention.
8. Broccoli Is A Natural Detox
Research shows that naturally occurring properties compounds in broccoli act as detoxifiers which helps to deactivate potentially damaging chemicals and shuttle them out of the body more quickly.
Does broccoli lose nutrients when overcooked?
Broccoli is likely to lose some of its nutrients when cooked and also the method use in cooking will determine how much nutrients are lost, but the exact amount can’t be precisely measured because several variables are at play.
The length of time spent cooking broccoli will also have an influence on nutrient retention.
Broccoli does lose some nutritional value when it’s cooked but on the positive side, it is packed filled with such a large amount of vitamins and minerals that even cooked broccoli remains a rich source of nutrients.
In Conclusion
Extreme overcooking may deplete nutrients beyond the recommended percentage in broccoli however when it is boiled just until cooked then you will get plenty of vitamins and minerals. How much nutrients you will be getting from broccoli depends on the length of time used in cooking, the type of nutrients, and the method used all influence nutrient retention.
You can always consume broccoli raw is more nutritious, raw broccoli has emerged as one of the healthiest diet-friendly foods on earth.