The Health Benefits and Properties of Broccoli
Broccoli is one of those dark green vegetables that Mom, Grandma and probably great, great, great Grandma used to delight in offering the children with that famous instruction: "Eat those greens."
However, it is becoming more and more clear today that all those generations of Moms were almost certainly right, except that broccoli is probably more potent as a health aid than even Grandma thought. It is funny that in try to dismiss old wives' tales, scientists may make an important discovery in the medical world, a discovery that may help to prevent or cure heart disease or some cancers.
Broccoli is rich in vitamin C and soluble fiber, but also has many other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins B1,2,3,5,6 and 9,zinc, phosphorous and iron.
Broccoli, though, is now the subject of some serious scientific study, not just to dismiss an old wives', but to find out why broccoli is such a powerful ally in the fight for good health, but to what extent it can prevent or cure particular diseases, such as cancers, and what the active compounds are that do all the good work. Apart from the well known vitamins and minerals, studies into sulphoraphane and diindolylmethane could bring forth some interesting results in the near future.
To millions, broccoli is a mundane old vegetable, a punishment rather than a culinary delight. If you find good broccoli, though, it is quite delicious. As a cold country vegetable, I was familiar with it in the UK, but never inspired. However, like with brussels sprouts, some varieties are great, some very poor; and they do need to be cultivated with great skill to get them to the stores in prime condition.
Strangely for a cool climate vegetable, I discovered how delicious broccoli could be when I moved to a tropical island in the south west of the Philippines, close to Borneo. The broccoli we can buy in the local supermarket has small florets, and the most delightful taste. Even my anti-vegetable 3 year old daughter will pick out all the broccoli, and eat nothing else until the broccoli is gone, sometimes leaving her poor parents without a single floret for themselves.
We do not complain; having followed broccoli's goodness for a while now, I need no convincing that it is something of a superfood. In fact, it may even become the number one superfood when the current batch of studies is complete.
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