Broccoli on the menu - packed with vitamins and minerals, a bone fide super food

Packed with yummy vitamins and minerals

Broccoli is a bona fide member of the super food group. Rich in essential vitamins and minerals, broccoli provides a brought spectrum of important nutrients making it one of the most beneficial, nutrient dense foods commercially available today.

A member of the Brassicaceae family of edible vegetables (also called Cruciferous vegetables), bbroccoli is rich in vitamins C, folic acid, A, B1, B2, B3, B6, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Because broccoli contains important phytochemicals, such as indoles, sulforaphane, and aromatic isothiocynates, many scientists now believe that broccoli may be an important cancer prevention food. It was recently reported that researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that diindolymethane (DIM), a compound resulting from digestion of cruciferous vegetables, reduced the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancers to spread. The same mechanism may also prevent more than twenty other different types of cancer.

There is also evidence that broccoli may reduce the negative effects of LDL, or bad cholesterol and help reduce the risk of adult onset diabetes.

The nutrients in broccoli serve as antioxidants, thereby destroying damaging free radicals which contribute to aging and disease.

It’s a good idea to eat at least several cups of broccoli during the week. Broccoli is most nutritious when eaten, raw, or lightly cooked - either steamed or sautéed. See more: Irish Medical News