As a child you may have had nightmares over the soggy grey-greenish mushy broccoli served up at school lunches, but prepared well this vegetable is both delicious and a powerhouse of health giving properties.
Broccoli has both anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic properties. Boiling broccoli for even five minutes can destroy up to 30% of these healthy properties, however lightly steaming it for just a few minutes enhances one of the most important anti-cancer compounds, sulforaphane, according to University of Illinois researcher Elizabeth Jefferey.
Jeffery said that sulforaphane is one of the most powerful anticarcinogens found in food. “It works by increasing the enzymes in your liver that destroy the cancer-inducing chemicals you ingest in food or encounter in the environment.
Jeffery’s team of researchers began by cooking broccoli for different lengths of times at different temperatures to learn the point at which the broccoli enzyme that releases sulforaphane is destroyed.
“And, much to our excitement, after we had heated it for just a little while, we found we had killed off a protein that nobody knew was there. This protein, named the epithiospecifier protein, had been grabbing sulfur and greatly depleting the amount of sulforaphane in a serving of broccoli.
Sulforaphane also protects the eye from damage by ultra-violet which is key to the prevention of macular degeneration. But the broccoli benefits don’t end there, it is also a rich source of anti-oxidants and vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and calcium. It is packed with fibre which makes for a healthy gut and it has been scientifically linked to the prevention or control of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and the general degeneration casued by age.
Sources for the Health Benefits of Broccoli:
