Broccoli It Does the Body Good
What is it about the little green cruciferous plant? Why does this veggie either raw or cooked keep pulling us in? It’s quite simple. Broccoli is food for the ages.
If there is one vegetable that you need to give consideration to, it is broccoli. You have all heard about antioxidants, right? Well, getting them into your diet is a bit of a feat. Some foods contain a little and others contain a little more, so it is the combination of foods that give us as many as we can stand. No one knows for sure how many you need, but the more the merrier.
Broccoli contains polyphenols, a champion antioxidant substance. And, it contains more of it than most other vegetables and fruits. There are only two ahead of it. Antioxidants fight diseases like cancer. Eating broccoli and cauliflower (another cruciferous powerhouse) can greatly reduce your chances of developing cancer in the body. If you have already developed tumors, this vegetable can reduce their growth over time. Researchers are studying the effects right now.
Broccoli is also good for the heart. This muscle keeps us alive and the blood circulating to all parts so the cells can do their jobs. You will be challenged to find a vegetable that is richer in fiber, folate, vitamin B and C and potassium. Bananas are good but broccoli is a little better.
Folate is instrumental in preventing certain neural birth defects. Obstetricians recommend increasing folate levels during pregnancy.
Fiber helps to lower cholesterol. It gives you that feeling of fullness so that you eat less at a meal. Lower cholesterol means less clogging of the arteries and the strokes and heart attacks that can result. While the bad cholesterol numbers drop, the good cholesterol numbers rise to keep blood vessels healthy and elastic.
One serving of broccoli can provide all of these benefits and more. Broccoli is very low in calories. You can eat broccoli for lunch and dinner and even breakfast if you dare with no significant calorie gain. Broccoli can be eaten raw. Eat is just like it is or place it in slaw and salads. If you cook it, try steaming so that the vegetable retains all of its nutrition. Then add it to stir fry, casseroles and as toppings for potatoes.
Now what’s so bad about broccoli? When it comes to a healthy food there really isn’t anything bad to say about broccoli. Try some raw broccoli or whip it up into a delicious meal. Either way your bound to find that broccoli is just what the doctor ordered because broccoli does in fact do the body good.
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