Broccoli Health Benefits

Broccoli may not be the most enticing vegetable, which proves the saying that, “You should not judge a book by its cover”. It may not be aesthetically appealing but knowing the broccoli health benefits will have you smitten in no time.

Perfect Diet Food

Dieting and losing weight is not exactly the easiest thing to do but things are bound to get easier if you will feast on broccoli everyday. Broccoli has high amount of fiber so by eating a small portion, you would already feel like you have indulged on your meal. Aside from that, broccoli also has high level of protein. This will help you build leaner and stronger muscles and in effect, you can lose more body fat too. So once you start to lose weight, you do not have to worry that you would easily gain it back.

Defense Against Cancer

photo credit: flickr.com/whologwhy

If other types of fruits and vegetables only have one to two components which will help in fighting cancer, this vegetable has a lot. That is why, the broccoli health benefits when it comes to preventing cancer should not be underestimated. The glucoraphanin in broccoli is converted to sulforaphane which works like a natural anti-cancer compound. It also has indole-3-carbinol which is not only a potent antioxidant but also and effective anti-carcinogen. Broccoli may not have strong impact when it comes to hindering the progression of existing cancer but this has proven efficiency when it comes to preventing cancer cells from forming.

Prevention of Osteoporosis

One of the major broccoli health benefits is avoidance of osteoporosis because this has remarkable amount of calcium and Vitamin K. Calcium is the primary building block of bones. It prevents brittleness and maintains proper bone density. Problem is, without Vitamin K, calcium would not be properly absorbed either. That is why, broccoli is ahead of all other types of food when it comes to hindering osteoporosis from striking. It provides the perfect tandem of Calcium and Vitamin K.

Lowering Frequency of Allergy Attack

A lot of people do not realize that one of the broccoli health benefits is its ability to prevent allergic reactions. Broccoli has the component called kaempferol which prevents allergies from being triggered. Since asthma is also a form of allergy, this vegetable will also benefit those who are suffering from this ailment.

Reduces Arthritis Pain

Instead of shoving in too many Ibuprofens in your mouth if arthritis begins to strike again, it is better to just increase your daily intake of broccoli. The isothiocyanates is a phytonutrient that negates inflammation. When inflammation is not so bad then it also means that pain would not be so horrible either.

Detoxification

Aside from the fact that broccoli has high amount of fiber, it also contains glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiin and glucobrassicin. These three are essential for the body to be naturally capable of cleansing itself. With the presence of these phytonutrients, elimination of toxins would occur more regularly. Hence, it is easier to prevent build up of toxins which could eventually trigger a myriad of health problems.