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Health Benefits of Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the foods that people either love or hate. The truth is everyone should eat it to be healthy. It has so many nutrients that help fight off diseases.

Broccoli is part of the cabbage family of vegetables. It is also a close relation to the cauliflower. It has several textures to it because of the stalks and flowery head. It is fairly pungent while it cooks due to the presence of sulfur compounds.

Nutrients in a 100g of Raw Broccoli

Nutrients	Units
Water	89.30g
Energy	34 kcal
Protein	2.82g
Total lipid (fat)	0.37g
Carbohydrate	6.64g
Dietary Fiber	2.6g
Total Sugars	1.70g
Calcium	47mg
Iron	0.73mg
Magnesium	21mg
Phosphorus	66mg
Potassium	316mg
Sodium	332mg
Zinc	0.41mg
Copper	0.049mg
Manganese	0.210mg
Selenium	2.5mcg
Vitamin C	89.2mg
Thiamine	0.071mg
Riboflavin	0.117mg
Niacin	0.639mg
Pantothenic acid	0.573mg
Vitamin B6	0.175mg
Folate	63mcg
Choline	18.7mg
Betaine	0.1mg
Beta Carotene	361mcg
Alpha Carotene	25mcg
Vitamin A	623IU
Vitamin E	0.78mg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	1403mg
Vitamin K	101.6mcg

The Health Benefits of Broccoli

1. There are also phytonutrients, indoles and sulforaphane present in broccoli. These are both great cancer fighting agents. The indoles can disrupts and estrogen metabolite that encourages tumors to grow. This can highly impact the risk of breast cancer where estrogen is a factor.
   
   
   
2. The sulforaphane, some amino acids, and vitamin C functions as detoxifying agent, removing toxins. If left alone, the toxins may cause various problems such as gout, rashes, or even arthritis. Also through detoxification, you can lower your risk of colon cancer and other types of cancers.
   
   
   
3. The fiber in broccoli can treat constipation problems. It helps to eliminate waste products through the bowels more efficiently. Constipation can cause other stomach disorders if not cured.
   
   
   
4. Broccoli is also great for the skin's health. The anti-oxidants, vitamin E, vitamin Bs, vitamin K, vitamin A, and folate aid in promoting healthy skin.
   
   
   
5. This vegetable helps lower the bad cholesterol in your system and regulates your blood pressure.
   
   
   
6. Broccoli has nutrients in it that also protect your eyes from the effects of aging and UV exposure.
   
   
   
7. Eating broccoli improves your immune system. This means you can fight infections off more effectively.
   
   
   
8. Broccoli is also great for bone health with all the calcium it provides with other vital nutrients for bone strength.
   
   
   
9. One of the other benefits of broccoli is it keeps your body from being anemic with the presence of iron in it. If you are anemic, consider adding broccoli to your diet.
   
   
   
10. You can cook broccoli in many delicious ways such as broccoli casserole. Or you can add it to your salad.