Broccoli is anybody's go-to
everyday vegetable: it’s affordable and available year-round. And
the icing on the cake is that it frequently earns a top spot on
“superfoods” lists. This is partially because it’s packed with an
array of vitamins and minerals. And partly because it delivers a
healthy dose of sulforaphane, a compound thought to thwart cancer
by helping to stimulate the body’s detoxifying enzymes.
According to recent research in the Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry, raw broccoli provides significantly more
of this beneficial nutrient than cooked. (Cooking locks
sulforaphane in, making it unavailable to your body.) In the small
study, men were given about 1 cup of broccoli, raw or cooked. Those
who ate the raw broccoli absorbed sulforaphane faster and in higher
amounts compared to those who ate it cooked. The findings add to
growing evidence that links diets rich in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, and to lower rates of cancer.
Bottom line: If you like broccoli, eat it raw:
it’s more nutritious.
Or, if you prefer it cooked, steam it until it’s cooked but still
crunchy. Some research suggests this method may keep sulforaphane
available.
Here is a simple and healthy recipe:
Ginger Broccoli
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 pound broccoli crowns, trimmed and chopped (about 6 cups)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fish sauce (see Note)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic
and ginger and cook until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds to 1
minute. Add broccoli and cook, stirring, until the broccoli is
bright green, 2 minutes. Drizzle water and fish sauce over the
broccoli; reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until the broccoli
is just tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar just before
serving.
Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each.
Per serving: 74 calories; 4 g fat (0 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg
cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 328 mg
sodium; 372 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (170% daily
value), Vitamin A (60% dv), Folate (19% dv).
Note: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made
from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large
supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen
fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per
tablespoon), in our recipe testing and nutritional analyses.
Broccoli is anybody's go-to
everyday vegetable: it’s affordable and available year-round. And
the icing on the cake is that it frequently earns a top spot on
“superfoods” lists. This is partially because it’s packed with an
array of vitamins and minerals. And partly because it delivers a
healthy dose of sulforaphane, a compound thought to thwart cancer
by helping to stimulate the body’s detoxifying enzymes.
