What vitamins are in broccoli? Useful properties of broccoli

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Broccoli is a type of cauliflower with a delicate unobtrusive taste. In its appearance, it resembles a hand clenched into a fist. In terms of usefulness for the body, it overtakes many other vegetables. And in terms of the amount of protein, it surpasses chicken eggs, beef and a number of other products. What vitamins does broccoli contain, what useful properties does it have, how to cook and store it properly - you can learn about all this from this article.

Vitamins included in the composition

Broccoli contains many he althy nutrients. This allows it to be used for therapeutic and dietary nutrition, making it indispensable when introducing complementary foods to children from 6-7 months of age (for children on artificial feeding - from 5 months). If you answer the question, what vitamins does broccoli contain, then this:

1. С (ascorbic acid) - in this vegetable it is more than in citrus fruits by 2 times. It is needed to normalize the functionbone and connective tissue, restore immunity, protect the body from various infections and produce collagen.
2. A (retinol) - allows you to maintain eye he alth, regulate the amount of minerals in the body, improve skin metabolism.
3. PP (nicotine) - contributes to the rapid carbohydrate metabolism of a living cell, the formation of enzymes and lipid metabolism, participates in redox reactions.
4. K (fat-soluble) - helps to better blood coagulation, synthesizes protein metabolism.
5. E - helps to rejuvenate and stop the signs of aging.
6. U (methylmethionine) - prevents ulcers, normalizes acidity.
7. B2 - improves the condition of the skin, nails and hair, digestion, vision, the state of the nervous system.
8. B9 (folic acid) - promotes the production of serotonin (hormone of joy) and red blood cells.
9. B4 (choline) - has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, improves the condition of the nervous system, helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar, improves the condition of the reproductive system.

If you want to know what other vitamins and minerals broccoli contains, then it is also: potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, selenium, zinc and copper. In addition, it contains valuable amino acids - lysine and phenylalamine. The concentration of nutrients in 100 grams of a vegetable can satisfy a person's daily need for their consumption.

Vegetable calories

Now that youyou know what vitamins broccoli has, let's move on to another question: how high-calorie is the vegetable? In fact, 100 grams of fresh product contains only 34 kcal, and boiled - 27 kcal. And this is taking into account the fact that protein in the same amount - 2.87 g, and fat - only 0.37 g. There is no cholesterol at all, which makes such cabbage safe for use in heart diseases.

Useful properties

What vitamins are in broccoli and cauliflower, respectively, have already been mentioned above. Now a little about useful properties. And they are enough. So, such a vegetable is useful for:

• diseases of the stomach (due to the large amount of fiber in the composition);
• heart disease (due to the presence of omega-3 and beta-carotene);
• anemia (due to the saturation of the product with iron and some proteins);
• vision problems (including the vegetable helps to cure cataracts and macular degeneration);
• high blood pressure and high insulin (normalizes these indicators);
• detoxification (helps get rid of free radicals and toxins);
• malignant neoplasms (allows you to fight cancer due to the presence of chlorophyll and sulforaphane in the composition).

In addition, broccoli can reduce bad cholesterol, keep skin beautiful and he althy, protect the body from viruses and infections, get rid of itching, rashes, arthritis, abscesses, kidney disease, gout and rheumatism.

Vegetable benefits forweight loss

Many nutritionists recommend broccoli for weight loss due to its low calorie content and high fiber content. But it is better to do this by first boiling the vegetable for 5-7 for a couple, without s alt. You need to eat it along with a small amount of lemon juice or vegetable oil. It is categorically not recommended to mix with mayonnaise and sour cream (even low-fat), since in this case you will not get any benefit from eating cabbage. For best results, you can follow this diet:

1. First 2 days: breakfast - 200 g of broccoli, 50 grams of rye bread (wheat - not allowed!) And 1 tbsp. homemade fat-free yogurt; lunch - 250 ml of chicken broth, 200 g of boiled chicken, 150 g of broccoli; dinner - a salad of 250 g of raw broccoli, 2 fresh carrots, garlic cloves, green onions and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. You can’t wash down dinner with anything.
2. Second 2 days: breakfast - broccoli with sweet bell pepper (these vegetables need to be steamed!), non-carbonated lemon juice; lunch - 200 g tuna, 200 g broccoli, 2 small tomatoes; dinner - 1 bell pepper, 200 g fresh broccoli.
3. Third 2 days: breakfast - 150 g chicken ham, 100 g raw cabbage, 1 tbsp. homemade yogurt; lunch - 200 g of broccoli, 1 piece of rye bread, 100 g of fat-free cheese; dinner - 200 g boiled beef, 200 g broccoli.
4. Fourth 2 days: breakfast - 100 g broccoli, 2 chicken eggs, 1 tbsp. low-fat milk; lunch - 300 g of chicken soup, 200 g of raw cabbage, 100 g of chicken meat; dinner - 200 g of broccoli and 1 tbsp. fresh tomato juice.
5. Fifth 2 days: breakfast - 2 raw carrots, 1 tbsp. low-fat milk, 150 g of broccoli; lunch - 200 g of boiled cabbage, 200 g of boiled chicken, 1 piece of rye bread. Dinner - 2 jacket potatoes, 200 g broccoli.

Get out of the diet should be carefully, gradually increasing the amount of ingredients and adding new products. Flour, fatty and sweet foods are possible only a month after its completion. If you feel unwell or taste acetone in your mouth during the diet, end it immediately and contact your doctor. Remember: with gastritis, stomach ulcers and colitis, losing weight with broccoli is strictly prohibited.

Benefits for young children

If you ask mothers what vitamins broccoli and green beans contain, they will most likely shrug their shoulders. But if you ask the parents of 6-7-month-old children what they feed them, then they will surely name mashed broccoli among other things. It is with this product that many pediatricians recommend starting complementary foods. The thing is that it contains a large amount of protein, which is very useful for a growing organism. And besides, broccoli puree has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, intestines, heart and other organs of a newborn baby.

Benefits for pregnant women

Gynecologists and therapists definitely recommend broccoli for inclusion in the diet of a pregnant or lactating woman. The goals here can be different: to eliminate constipation, saturationyour body and your baby with valuable vitamins and minerals (including calcium), strengthening of bone tissues and teeth, better breast milk flow, proper formation of fetal organs, and preservation of intestinal microflora. There is only one contraindication here - individual intolerance to the product.

Contraindications for use

Despite all the usefulness of broccoli for the body, nutritionists do not recommend eating it in an amount of more than 100 grams per day (with the exception of a diet). This is for adults. Such cabbage can be given to children no more than 2-3 times a week. Without exception, it is not recommended for everyone to eat it with individual intolerance, severe diseases of the stomach or intestines, allergies to the product, increased acidity of gastric juice, impaired functioning of the pancreas.

Proper usage

In order for broccoli to retain its beneficial properties and its vitamins to the maximum, it must be cooked correctly. You can cook a vegetable in a saucepan, but no more than 5 minutes. Instead, it is better to blanch or steam at a temperature not exceeding 100 ° C. It is allowed to extinguish, but again no more than 5 minutes. In the finished form, broccoli is recommended to be mixed with mustard, radish, lettuce or arugula to increase the content of nutrients.

You can also make a broccoli smoothie according to this recipe: take 0.5 heads of cabbage, cut and beat in a blender along with a grated green apple. Addjuice from half a lemon and a couple of pinches of dry spinach. Mix everything thoroughly, strain and pour into a glass. Drink, enjoying the pleasant taste. It is strongly not recommended to fry broccoli and cook vegetable soups from it.

Proper storage

In order for broccoli to retain its beneficial properties longer and not deteriorate, it must be stored properly. Nutritionists advise putting it in the freezer, putting it in a plastic bag in its original form, that is, without washing. In this form, the vegetable can be stored for up to 2 weeks. But many housewives do it their own way. They divide the product into inflorescences, wash it well, spread it on a clean cloth, towel or ordinary newspaper to dry, then transfer it to plastic containers and put it in the freezer. In this case, the storage period is increased to 6 months.

Take note

Now you know what vitamins are in broccoli and how to cook the vegetable correctly. If you like the taste of it, great! If not, try using sprouts instead of cabbage. They taste good, smell good and are more nutritious compared to a ripe vegetable. You can eat them raw, for example, adding to a salad or a light soup like okroshka. Perhaps they will be to your liking. Bon appetit!