Eat your broccoli! Chew well! Your parent probably told you this dozens of times. Truth being told, this is in fact sound nutritional advice and here is some science behind it.
Broccoli is an ultimate superfood. It is a real treasure trove of beneficial nutrients: vitamins (e.g. A, C, K1), minerals (e.g. calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, folate, etc.) and fibre.
However, it’s the phytonutrients (chemicals produced by the plant) that make broccoli so special. Broccoli is a source of isothiocyanates – a group of plant chemicals which have demonstrated cancer protective properties. Recent studies have provided good evidence that isothiocyanates increase detoxification of carcinogens in the liver and induce apoptosis (a programmed suicide) of cancer cells.
The problem is that these highly beneficial chemicals are stored in the broccoli plant in its inactive form. Their precursors (called glucosinolates) need to get in contact with a specific enzyme (called myrosinase) to trigger the conversion. Given that those two normally “reside” in different cells of the plant, the only way to initiate this all important contact is to damage the plant tissue. In other words, cutting and chewing broccoli is an essential step in activating these health-promoting compounds.
Prolonged storage and some cooking methods destroy glucosinolates. So always choose young, freshly harvested plants. Those have dark green buds and firm stalks without dryness at the cut. Strong “cabbagy” smell and yellowing suggest that the broccoli is old.
Steam broccoli florets (5-6 minutes are enough) to retain maximum beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals. But most importantly eat your broccoli and chew it well!
