Broccoli Consumption And Its Benefits

Broccoli is one of the most famous and healthy vegetables in the world, famous for its many beneficial properties. Consumption of broccoli has anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and alkalizing abilities, and can significantly improve the body’s health.

This vegetable is considered to be one of the most complete and nutritious foods we have at our disposal. It is an incredible source of vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, sulfur compounds, dietary fiber and lutein, but with a very low caloric content.

However, most people do not know how to cook broccoli, often consuming only the vegetable bouquets. If you want to learn how to make the most of the nutrients offered by broccoli, read on and remember.

What components of the plant can be consumed?

Those who include the consumption of broccoli in their daily diet tend to cook only the bouquet, but throwing the leaves and the stem in the trash. What these people do not realize is that those components of the vegetable are rich in nutrients that they should not overlook.

For example, broccoli stems have a higher fiber content than bouquets, and the leaves of this vegetable contain more beta-carotene than both components just mentioned.

How should broccoli stems be eaten?

The taste of broccoli stems is slightly sweet and very delicious. To cook this part of the vegetable, peel it and cut it into pieces. The stems boil harder than the bouquets, so they must be boiled first.

How can we include the consumption of broccoli leaves in our daily diet?

A mistake that many make when cooking the leaves of this vegetable is to overheat them. Broccoli leaves are rich in beta-carotene, an important antioxidant that can reduce the risk of breast cancer and macular degeneration caused by aging.

This part of the vegetable is a significant source of vitamin A, an essential component for strengthening vision and the immune system. A single serving of 28 g (1 ounce) of broccoli leaves can provide 44% of the body’s daily vitamin C requirement.

Broccoli leaves can be cooked and eaten just like bouquets. Don’t hesitate to fry them, sauté them or steam them.

What is the best way to steam broccoli?

The way you cook a certain food plays an essential role in preserving its nutrients. So, if you want to take advantage of all the properties of broccoli, you need to learn how to steam its components correctly, this being the ideal way to cook.

A 2008 study published in the Agriculture and Chemistry Journal found that the properties and nutrients of broccoli are kept intact if the vegetable is steamed.

How is it prepared?

Broccoli can be steamed, plain or combined with other vegetables. It is advisable to use a pot specially designed for steam cooking. Let the vegetables simmer for about 15 minutes.

What other foods can you combine with broccoli?

One of the biggest advantages of eating broccoli is that it is a very versatile vegetable that can be combined with various other foods. For this purpose, the most suitable are foods rich in B-complex vitamins, such as tomatoes and spinach. You can serve this simple vegetable, seasoned with a little olive oil and lemon juice.

How can we prepare a broccoli salad?

To have a balanced diet, you can use broccoli as the main ingredient to prepare a healthy salad.

ingredients

• 900 g (2 pounds) broccoli
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper
• ½ onion
• 56 g (2 ounces) boiled shrimp
• Olive oil
• A little pepper
• 1 pinch of salt

Directions

• Wash and separate the vegetable sprigs. Boil them in salted water. Drain the water and put the boiled twigs in a bowl.
• Cut the tomatoes into cubes, the bell pepper into strips and the onion into thin slices. Mix these ingredients with the shrimp and add them to the bowl in which you put the broccoli sprigs.

• Serve cold salad.