5 Health Benefits of Broccoli
While we know broccoli is good for us, what exactly are the health benefits of those green florets in the produce section? For starters, broccoli is good for heart health. It may help with cancer prevention and cholesterol levels, and it has several vitamins and minerals that contribute to overall wellness.
Nutrition
Now, let’s unpack those health benefits. First, the basics. 1 cup of chopped, cooked broccoli contains:
- 3.71 grams protein
- .64 grams fat
- 11 grams carbohydrates
- 5.1 grams fiber
- 2.17 grams sugar
- 457 milligrams potassium
- 64 milligrams sodium
- 62 milligrams calcium
- 101 milligrams vitamin C
- 2415 international units of vitamin A
Good for your eye health
Hate carrots? Eat broccoli instead. While carrots are constantly touted as good for your eye health because of their vitamin A content, delivering carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, cooked broccoli actually contains more.
Broccoli is basically a multivitamin
In addition to all that vitamin A, broccoli packs a healthy punch of vitamin C which can boost immunity and fight ทางเข้า UFABET สำหรับสมาชิกใหม่ สมัครวันนี้ รับโบนัสฟรี free radicals. It’s full of other vitamins and minerals as well, such as vitamin K (which promotes healthy bones and blood flow) and folate (which is linked to decreased rates of cancer, heart disease, and other health issues).
May help lower cholesterol
It doesn’t sound glamorous, but certain compounds of broccoli bind to bile acids in your stomach. The process is thought to help lower cholesterol levels by helping you better digest fat and preventing the acids from being released back into your bloodstream.
It’s a cancer-fighting veggie
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, that’s a fancy way of saying it’s part of a specific family of plants that are loaded with vitamins and minerals as well as phytonutrients that are anti-inflammatory (Brussels sprouts are also a cruciferous vegetable). Cruciferous vegetables might be cancer-fighting specifically for prostate, colorectal, lung, and breast cancer.