What is special about Broccoli

What is special about Broccoli.

Broccoli has more Vitamin C than an orange and contains high amounts of antioxidants that will help to repair your muscles and bulk up your immune system. It also contains phytochemicals which have anti-estrogen properties that help lower estrogen levels, increase testosterone and help fight off body fat storage.

It also contains multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as di-indolylmethane and small amounts of selenium. A single serving provides more than 30 mg of vitamin C and a half-cup provides 52 mg of vitamin C. Broccoli also contains the compound glucora-phanin, which can be processed into an anti-cancer compound sulfo-raphane, though the anti-cancer benefits of broccoli are greatly reduced if the vegetable is boiled. Broccoli is also an excellent source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.

Weight Reduction

Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of suspected anti-carcinogenic compounds, such as sulfo-raphane, with losses of 20 to 30% after five minutes, , 40 to 50% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes. However, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.

Broccoli has the highest levels of carotenoids in the brassica family. It is particularly rich in lutein and also provides a modest amount of beta-carotene.