Broccoli sprouts and broccoli are best eaten together, with nutrition where 1+1 is greater than 2
For a long time, broccoli has been regarded as one of the most important vegetables for health and nutritional supplementation, not only because it is rich in complete nutritional value, but also because it is an important ally against cancer.
Research results from the University of Johns Hopkins in the United States in 1997 first discovered that broccoli contains a phytochemical that can fight cancer - sulforaphane. Subsequent research further confirmed that the sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts is 20-50 times more than in mature broccoli, bringing this ingredient, which was originally relatively unfamiliar to everyone, international attention. After the research report was published, it even temporarily caused a global shortage of broccoli seeds.
Research from the University of Illinois points out that eating mature broccoli and sprouts together can double the anti-cancer effect
Recent further research by the University of Illinois in the United States found that whether it is broccoli or broccoli sprouts, eating them individually can provide many nutrients; but if you want to strengthen their anti-cancer effect, the mature broccoli and the sprouts should be consumed at the same time.
Elizabeth Jeffrey, one of the researchers on this team and also a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois, said: To get the greatest utilization value from the nutrients in broccoli, it needs the assistance of an enzyme called myrosinase in broccoli sprouts, which can convert glucoraphanin in broccoli into sulforaphane. The research further points out that eating two different forms of broccoli (sprouts and mature broccoli) at the same time can increase the sulforaphane absorbed by the body by 50%, thereby also greatly enhancing the anti-cancer effect.
What is the best way to eat broccoli?
When cooking large mature broccoli, it is recommended not to use a microwave, but to steam it briefly for 2 to 4 minutes to get the most enzymes and nutrients.Broccoli sprouts are recommended to be eaten raw, and you should chew them several more times in your mouth. During chewing, saliva can fully combine with the sulforaphane in the broccoli sprouts, promoting human digestion and absorption.
The benefit of eating them raw is that it can preserve the rich, diverse and highly active enzymes in the sprouts, including protease, lipase, and various enzyme actions such as metabolic enzymes needed to maintain growth.Therefore, only by eating broccoli sprouts raw can you fully get the complete enzymes, nutrients and phytochemicals that have not been destroyed by high temperature.
Source: Boost anti-cancer effect of broccoli with broccoli sprouts
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