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| Thursday, August 14, 2008 |
| Benefits of Broccoli |
Broccoli! What an amazingly versatile vegetable. You have to love a vegetable that turns such a beautiful shade of green while it’s cooking, to let you know it’s ready. Easy to prepare, and just as happy to be steamed, boiled or sautéed, it’s a friendly vegetable, and gets along well, hot or cold, in a salad, a main course, as a side dish, or dipped and dunked in any number of sauces like mustard, veggie dip or cheese.
If you’ve always known in a vague way that broccoli was good for you, but want to learn more, a quick trip to HOWSTUFFWORKS will really convince you. “This tasty vegetable is rich in dozens of nutrients including vitamins C, A, folic acid, calcium, and fiber. It’s good for your bones. The fiber found in broccoli is half insoluble and half soluble, helping to meet your needs for both types of fiber. Broccoli has been linked to a reduced risk of numerous conditions, including cataracts, heart disease, several cancers, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.” Broccoli is also inexpensive, easy to find, and has only around 30 calories per cup (for raw & chopped)!
And now for the good news! In a recently published study, researchers have discovered that a compound found in “broccoli called Sulforaphane can encourage the body to produce more enzymes to protect the blood vessels as well as reduce high levels of molecules which cause significant cell damage.” Let’s repeat that one, it protects you from damage, and helps prevent the changes that allow damage to occur.
“Sulforaphane activated a protein in the body called nrf2, which protects cells and tissues from oxidative stress by activating protective antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes.” So broccoli is like a trip to the spa for your insides.
The “study suggests that Sulforaphane from broccoli may help counter processes linked to the development of vascular disease in diabetes.” Researchers also hope “a diet rich in vegetables [like broccoli] has health benefits for diabetic patients.”
Check out our recipe for Broccoli Slaw, and remember to eat your vegetables!
- Nancy
Related Articles: Researchers have discovered eating broccoli could undo the damage caused by diabetes to heart blood vessels
Labels: fruits and vegetables, Nancy, Recent Research
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posted by The Sensei Team @ Thursday, August 14, 2008   |
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