benefits of broccoli

The high concentration of sulforaphane in broccoli helps to boost liver and skin s detoxification abilities, helping the skin to repair damages done from over exposure to the sun s UV harm. Different variety of broccoli tastes different, ranging from soft to fibrous and crunchy. Even the color ranges from deep sage to dark green to purplish green.

The high content of sulforaphane in broccoli may help to rid the body of the Helicobacter pylori which is responsible for most peptic ulcers. It also helps other stomach disorders like gastritis, esophagitis and acid indigestion. Juicing is the easiest and most effective way to get the highest volume of nutrients found in broccoli into your body. Because of its bland taste when juiced alone, similar to other green vegetables, broccoli juice is best when mixed with other more appetizing vegetables and fruits such as carrots and apples.

Sulforaphane is found in extremely high concentration in broccoli sprouts, that help stimulate the body s production of detoxification enzymes which may help reduce the size of tumors. Other related vegetables are broccolini (cross between broccoli and kale) and broccoflower (cross between broccoli and cauliflower).

When buying broccoli, choose those with deep green color, and stalks and stems that are firm. Store dry in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator up to about four days. A centrifugal juicer can extract only very little juice out of broccoli but a gear juicer does the job perfectly. You can mix broccoli juice with carrot and green apple juice to make it palatable. Drinking broccoli juice raw is best to obtain the most nutrition out of it.

Broccoli leaves (green tops) are an excellent source of carotenoids and vitamin A; (provide 16000 IU of vitamin A per 100 g) contain these compounds, several times greater than that in their flower heads. Broccoli has an anti estrogenic compound known as glucosinolates that are especially helpful to excrete excess estrogen that are linked to breast cancer.

Broccoli is one of the very low calorie vegetables; provides just 34 calories per 100 g. Nevertheless, it is rich in dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and anti oxidants that have proven health benefits. Total antioxidant strength measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) of broccoli is 1632