A thorough explanation of broccoli nutrition facts would require an entire booklet because of its numerous nutrients and benefits. Here is an overview on this nutritious food that not only helps you meet your daily nutrition requirements, but also assists with lowering cholesterol, detoxifying your body, reducing allergy symptoms and reducing inflammation.
Broccoli is an excellent source of:
- dietary fiber
- vitamins C, K and A
- vitamin B6
- omega 3 fatty acids
Broccoli also contains iron, calcium, thiamin, niacin, zinc and vitamin E.
So packed with nutrients, it is no wonder that broccoli has so many healing properties. You will experience cholesterol lowering benefits if you steam broccoli. If you eat it raw, it will lower cholesterol but its ability to impact cholesterol is higher when cooked. Steaming broccoli causes the fiber elements in broccoli to bind with the acids in the digestive system. This binding causes excretion of bile acids, which assists in lowering cholesterol.
While cooked broccoli has its own benefits, eating broccoli raw has been shown to help with stomach problems. Some stomach issues are caused by bacteria attaching itself to the stomach lining. Raw broccoli supports the stomach and reduces the damage caused by such bacteria. You will still get some of this benefit when you eat cooked broccoli, but the effect is heightened when eaten raw.
The flavonoid in broccoli will help you if you have allergies. It decreases the effects of allergy causing substances on your body. Although it will not eliminate your allergies completely, it will help to ease them. The special combination of phytonutrients in broccoli works to detoxify your system. It supports all of the processes involved in detoxification. Broccoli helps to activate, neutralize and eliminate unwanted toxins from your system.
Regular consumption of broccoli has been shown to have anti-inflammatory benefits. Short spurts of inflammation in the body are not problematic. This is just nature’s way of healing wounds and repairing tissues. Long-term and chronic inflammation, however, is a health issue. It can damage cells and, over time, lead to cancer and other illnesses. Studies have shown that making broccoli a regular part of your diet cleanses your system, reduces inflammation and gives your body the benefit of antioxidants.
Broccoli also assists with eye and skin health. Problems with eye degeneration and development of cataracts have been known to decrease with regular consumption of broccoli. Eating broccoli also protects your skin. It counteracts the damage caused by too much sun. The detoxification benefits of broccoli help to preserve your skin.
Broccoli has a wide range of nutrients and health benefits. It reduces inflammation, protects your stomach from bacteria, lowers cholesterol, detoxifies your system, and even improves the health of your eyes and skin. This is one food that you will want to include in your diet at least several times per week.