Broccoli, that awesome addition to a nice green salad and good to eat just about any time of the day and definitely for any meal. No matter how you prepare this food, it is going to be very good for you. The vitamins in broccoli are carotenoids and folic acid and it has a lot of vitamin C.
The only way you can make this vegetable not so good for you is to put it into the microwave or to overcook it on the stove. Overcooking is easy when it comes to vegetables because most of us overcook all the foods we cook.
Most people feel that an overcooked food is one that cannot be eaten because it is too tough or soggy. Not true, if you do anything to raw vegetables besides lightly steam them you have just overcooked them. That is because when you cook a vegetable you are cooking away all the nutrients.
Some foods were just meant to be eaten raw, broccoli is one of them. But if you prefer, lightly steam your broccoli and add a bit of salt to your taste and maybe for a few extra calories some organic butter. It is great with organic cheese too, the softer the better and it goes great in all soups and salads.
Containing folic acid, vitamin C and carotenoids this is one vegetable that should not be over looked by anyone especially if you are a pregnant woman. That is because vegetables that are high in carotenoids have shown to greatly reduce birth defects in unborn babies. Those that have issues with high blood pressure can actually look at broccoli as a fix for that as well.
Carotenoids are one deficiency these people have. If you are a smoker or drinker you want to eat more broccoli and other vegetables that are high in carotenoids as well. Doing so will protect your body from the free radicals that will consume your body from these types of lifestyles. According to whfoods.com, high-carotenoid foods can:
- Protect your cells from the damaging effects of free radicals
- Provide a source of vitamin A
- Enhance the functioning of your immune system
- Help your reproductive system function properly
Because broccoli contains high levels of carotenoids, it can help prevent vitamin A deficiency. For those of you that do not eat much fruits and vegetables, eating a diet rich in carotenoids is something you just should not overlook. If you are note eating a diet of fruit and vegetables then you are simply vitamin deficient in so many ways that you are just asking for trouble.
According to whfoods.com, carotenoids may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Angina pectoris
- Asthma
- Cataracts
- Cervical cancer
- Cervical dysplasia
- Chlamydial infection
- Heart disease
- Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the larynx)
- Lung cancer
- Male and female infertility
- Osteoarthritis
- Photosensitivity
- Pneumonia
- Prostate cancer
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Skin cancer
- Vaginal candidiasis
Now for the folic acid, broccoli contains a good amount of this vitamin that is also called vitamin B. A diet high in folic acid is guaranteed to help with low blood levels, anemia, IBS, ulcerative colitis, liver disease, alcoholism, and kidney dialysis. So the next time you go to the store, you might want to make sure you pick up a head of organic broccoli.
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