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Not all methods of cooking broccoli are equal, and a few simple tips can ensure you get the most nutrients from it.
Whether steamed, roasted or added to a stir-fry, broccoli is a healthy option filled with vitamins such as A, C and K, minerals such as calcium, potassium and iron, fiber and even a potentially anti-cancer compound, the Washington Post recently reported.
But certain ways of cooking broccoli can help you get the most out of the cruciferous vegetable and preserve these compounds.
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Boiling broccoli can cause nutrients and water-soluble compounds to leach into the cooking water, while prolonged or high-temperature cooking, including roasting, can reduce antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
Cruciferous vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, and plant compounds studied for their potential health benefits. (iStock)
“Boiling causes the greatest loss of nutrients,” Sol Figueroa, a Florida-based registered dietitian nutritionist with Mochi Health, told Fox News Digital. “Vitamin C and glucoraphanin dissolve in water, so many of them end up in cooking water that is poured down the drain.”
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Glucoraphanin is a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables and, when digested, can be converted to sulforaphane, a compound studied for its potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and possible benefits for liver, metabolic and intestinal health, as well as cancer prevention.
Figueroa offered several tips to help you get the most out of your broccoli. One way to preserve some nutrients is to use as little water as possible when boiling, she said.
Chopping broccoli and letting it sit before cooking can allow time for sulforaphane, a plant compound studied for its potential health benefits, to form. (iStock)
Another solution is to sprinkle mustard powder on cooked broccoli. Mustard seeds contain myrosinase, an enzyme that helps convert glucoraphanin to sulforaphane and which can be lost during cooking.
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According to Figueroa, a simple preparation can also help preserve sulforaphane.
“We can’t say broccoli prevents disease, but the results are promising.”
“Chopping the broccoli and letting it sit for about 30 to 40 minutes before cooking gives the sulforaphane time to form first,” she said.
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Most research related to broccoli’s health claims has been conducted in labs and on animals, Figueroa added.
“We can’t say broccoli prevents disease, but the results are promising,” she said.
Broccoli stems are edible and can be trimmed, sliced and cooked with the florets. (iStock)
Steaming is one of the best ways to preserve broccoli’s enzymes, and while this method often reduces the vitamin C found in other foods, research shows that broccoli might be an exception, the Washington Post reported.
According to the store, microwaving broccoli quickly can help preserve nutrients, and using the broccoli cooking water in a soup or stew can help preserve some water-soluble vitamins.
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Felice Kaufman, a Florida-based food blogger at Cooking in the Keys and former chef at the New York Whole Foods Market, said she usually steams the broccoli, cutting the florets into similar sizes and checking for doneness after about three minutes.
Steaming broccoli briefly can help preserve nutrients and compounds that may be reduced by prolonged cooking. (iStock)
“Taste a piece. If you want to eat it right away, take it out of the jar,” Kaufman told Fox News Digital. “The heat continues to cook the broccoli after it comes out of the pot.”
Kaufman also recommends using the stem, which she cuts, slices and cooks with the florets.
“The stem is the best part,” she said.
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She prefers steaming rather than boiling, partly to preserve the vitamin C, but said that’s not always possible.
“If the sink is full – it happens – I throw the broccoli straight into the boiling water,” she said. “One less thing to wash.”
Experts say the most important thing is to eat broccoli, whether it’s steamed, roasted or otherwise prepared. (iStock)
Regardless of how it’s served, including broccoli in your diet is essential, experts agree.
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“The most important thing is to eat broccoli,” Figueroa said.
If roasting is your family’s preferred way, do it, she added.
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Kaufman echoed this advice, saying, “Five ounces of broccoli, organic, conventional or frozen, is better than any processed food you can eat.” »
Gn Health
