Health Benefits of Broccoli
Broccoli has proved its value.
Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Broccoli_bunches.jpg
Overview
· Common Name Broccoli, Asparagus Broccoli, Brocks, Calabrese, Green Sprouting, Italian Asparagus, Sprouting Broccoli
· Hindi Hari Gobhi
· Botanical Name Brassica oleraceae L (var.) botrytis, italica (botanical name) family cruciferae
Broccoli is highly regarded as a powerful health food. The vegetable is mostly liked by vegetarians, dieters and nutrition conscious people for its antioxidant properties. In most respects the vegetable resembles your cauliflower. Somehow children don’t like this vegetable. The vegetable has its origin from Italy. It is most popular vegetable in western countries. The per capita broccoli consumption in U.S. is more than one kg. You can eat its fleshy, tender stem and mature, unopened florets or flower buds for its nutritional value.
Till 1990 there was no broccoli cultivation in India. The vegetable is newly cultivated in India for its vital food reserves. Though this popular vegetable is available throughout the year, you will get fresh florets during its season i.e. between October and April. You will get this vegetable only in main cities like Bangalore, Bombay, Chennai and Delhi. The vegetable is simply called broccoli. In north India it is being called as Hari Gobhi i.e., Hari means and Gobhi means cauliflower.
Broccoli is a biennial herb. You will find its root two feet away from the plant. Its branch less, waxy stem bears simple, alternate, lobed leaves as well as its inflorescence. Broccoli and cauliflower differ from its inflorescence. Broccoli has greenish inflorescence and cauliflower has whitish inflorescence. In broccoli you will see number florets and each floret is considered as a flower bud. The florets are attached to a long, fleshy stem or stalk. The fleshy stem or stalk is also an edible part.
Vitamin Content: You will be amazed to know the rich vitamin contents of broccoli. No floret vegetable has such an amount of vitamin A (2280.72 IU), vitamin C (123.40 mg) and vitamin K (155.20 mcg). Broccoli comprises moderately good amount of Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (0.18 mg) and Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) (0.22 mg). The vegetable also comprises traces of Vitamin B1 Thiamine (0.09 mg) and Vitamin B3 Niacin (0.94 mg), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) (0.79 mg) fol ate (93.91 mcg) and vitamin E (0.75 mg).
Nutrition Data on Broccoli: You will get rich amount of potassium (505.44 mg), calcium (74.72 mg) in broccoli. You will also get an amazing amount of other minerals i.e. phosphorus (102.80 mg). magnesium (39.00 mg). The traces of iron (1.37 mg), manganese (0.34 mg), zinc (0.62 mg) and tryptophan (0.05 g) are also found in this vegetable. It has also includes the traces of omega 3 fatty acids (0.20 g)
Calorie Content of Broccoli: Health watchers please note the calorie value of your broccoli. Every 100g of your broccoli contains 23 calories. It has excellent dietary fiber 4.68 g. It has reasonable amount of protein 4.66 g.
Health Benefits of Broccoli:
Health Benefits of Broccoli: Broccoli has number bio-active ingredients. Three of them have got much focused research. They are (1) indole-3-carbinol (I3C), (2) sulforaphane, and (3) beta carotene. Indole -3- Carbinol is responsible for discouraging carcinogenic hormones and this ingredient prevents prostrate or breast cancers. Sulforaphane is another ingredient that is used to encourage the synthesis of cancer preventing enzyme.
Your body metabolism will convert beta carotene present in this vegetable in to vitamin A. The antioxidant will suppress and destroy free radicals. Otherwise the free radical will destroy your healthy cells.
You will find two more active ingredients i.e. dithioltiones and glucosinolates and these will promote detoxification and antioxidant effects in your body. Another phytochemical isothiocyanates helps you to prevent tumor (cancer) growth. Other ingredient coumarins restricts the compounds responsible for developing cancer. In addition few phenols also prevent carcinogens from forming tumor and influence the synthesis of detoxifying enzymes.
How to choose and preserve the vegetable: You can select broccoli with compact florets. Take care to buy fresh, dark / purple green colored (avoid yellow colored) pieces. Examine for the firm stalk or stem and avoid over matured or hardened pieces. Also look at the freshness of leaves and don’t buy pieces with wilted leaves.
Before preservation don’t allow water drops or moisture, since moisture will spoil your vegetable. You may also preserve the florets and stem by simply keeping them in open polythene bags in your refrigerator. This type of packing will help you to preserve the vegetable for a week. Frozen broccoli can be preserved for more days or even months. Cooked broccoli dishes can be preserved for few days in vessels with tight lid and placed in the refrigerator.
Picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Broccoli_in_a_dish_2.jpg
Broccoli cooking should be mild and over cooking will destroy the nutrients. Avoid microwave cooking, since vegetable is likely to loose more than one third of its bio-active compounds. Since the nutrients are water soluble, the bio-active compounds may mix with boiling water and evaporate, steam cooking is mostly recommended to save its nutrients. Cook stems separately as it requires more time to get cooked. Add florets only after the stems become tender. Cut the stems in lengthwise and cut it into long pieces.
Recipe 1
Broccoli Salad
Ingredients
1) Broccoli florets (Fresh green) One number
2) Onions big size One number
3) Mayonnaise for decoration
4) Black Pepper Two Tablespoon
5) Paprika One Tablespoon
6) Salt To Taste
Method
1) Chop onion
2) Cut broccoli florets into long pieces
3) You may add anything you like. Taste differs.
4) Black pepper makes this dish amazing
5) Mix onion, florets, paprika, onion and anything (you like) together and cover the ingredients well with your mayonnaise sauce. Refrigerate, make it chill and serve.
Recipe 2
Broccoli – Cabbage – Celery Soup
Ingredients
1) Broccoli One Tablespoon
2) Cabbage Two Tablespoon
3) Carrot Two Tablespoon
4) Celery One small bunch (leaves only)
5) Spring Onion Greens One Small Bunch (Leaves Only)
6) Water Or Vegetable Stock 500 ml
7) Ginger Grated 1/4 Tablespoon
8) Red Chilli Sauce 1/2 Tablespoon
9) Soya Sauce One Tablespoon
10) Brown Vinegar One Tablespoon
11) Pepper Powder 1/4 Tablespoon
12) Salt to taste
13) Cornflour One Tablespoon
14) Butter Two Tablespoon Or One Tablespoon Butter And
15) Oil One Tablespoon
Method
1) Fine chop broccoli, carrot celery, and spring onion greens. Shred cabbage into fine pieces.
2) Take a saucepan. Lit stove. Heat a tablespoon of oil or butter. Add chopped vegetables as indicated. Stir well till it becomes tender and cooked. Now add spring onion pieces.
3) Now add the vegetable stock. Add chilli sauce, soya sauce, and vineagar. Stir well. Cook the ingredients in simmer fire for six to eight minutes and bring it to boiling point. Reduce heat.
4) Dissolve corn flour in 70 ml water and make consistently thick liquid. Add this liquid to the ingredients.
5) Sprinkle salt. Add pepper to taste. Stir continually till the soup reaches consistent thickness.
6) Transfer it into serving cups. Add a dollop of butter. Serve hot
Source:
1) Yahoo Answers – Broccoli Urdu/Hindi name? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080725231438AAjPIX5
2) Spices & Medicinal herbs – Vegetable: Broccoli http://www.spicesmedicinalherbs.com/brocolli-brassica-veggie.html 
3) The World’s Healthiest Foods Broccoli http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9
4) Vegetable Production by Nonnecke Ib Libner. Published by Kluwer Aca. Pp. 395-399. Rs. 15944.0
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