Be Sure to Include Broccoli in Your Diet

By Sumati Bhardwaj | Category: Food | 05-04-2021

Today, dietitians and medical science experts from all over the world are strongly recommending and advocating for making raw and green vegetables a part of the diet or including them prominently in the diet. This is because the proportion of fat in green vegetables is very low and the amount of fiber is high. Therefore, their use not only cures obesity but also protects the body from diseases caused by obesity. Therefore, it is very important to have a diet of green vegetables to keep the body slim and balanced. In the series of green vegetables, broccoli is also a green vegetable that looks like a common cauliflower, but the color of its floret is light green, dark green, or purple, and the stalk is soft and green.

Broccoli is originally an Italian vegetable. It is used all over the world, especially in European countries, raw, baked, or boiled to make soup, salad, vegetables, pasta, pizza, etc. Broccoli is now easily available in India as well, and it is being cultivated extensively in the plains and hilly areas. However, as a foreign vegetable, it is available here at a much higher price than common vegetables. If broccoli, which is rich in nutrients as well as medicinal properties, is a better natural option for health, then instead of spending money to improve poor health with medicines, it is better to spend a little money on eating food that does not spoil health in the first place.

Let's find out how the special properties and nutrients of broccoli can fulfill the essential elements in the body and provide relief from many problems.

Benefits of Broccoli

  1. Broccoli is rich in calcium, iron, protein, vitamins A and C, as well as many other nutrients and antioxidants, which increases the body's immunity.
  2. Broccoli is quite fibrous. This helps in controlling weight and also provides relief from constipation.
  3. The vitamin C and antioxidants in broccoli destroy harmful free radicals, reducing wrinkles, skin blemishes, and signs of aging.
  4. The calcium present in broccoli strengthens bones and teeth and also protects against osteoporosis.
  5. The iron, folate, and protein present in broccoli protect children and the elderly, as well as pregnant women, from malnutrition, keeping them fit and healthy.
  6. The vitamin A present in broccoli is very good for eye health. Therefore, whenever eye-related problems start, broccoli should also be included in the diet along with green vegetables.
  7. In addition to the florets of broccoli, its leaves also contain a very high amount of phytonutrients, which can be very helpful in detoxifying the body, i.e., removing accumulated toxins from the body.
  8. The phytochemicals present in broccoli also protect the body from cancer.

How to use Broccoli

  1. Since broccoli is eaten raw and lightly steamed or baked, it should be eaten fresh as much as possible because fresh broccoli is rich in vitamins and protein, which, like other green vegetables, do not provide any benefit if it is stale or old.
  2. Broccoli, which is rich in nutrients, should be cooked only to the extent that its nutrients are not destroyed, because even by overcooking, the nutrients present in it are not preserved.
  3. Cooking broccoli in boiling water for 1 ½ to 2 minutes enhances its green color. Therefore, it should be immediately removed from the hot water and put in cold water, which preserves its al dente taste and also retains its properties.
  4. If you want to steam broccoli, 3 minutes is enough, and if you want to bake it, 5 minutes is enough. Besides this, if you want to fry broccoli, do not do it for more than 3-4 minutes.
  5. Some people also cook broccoli as a vegetable or cook it with other vegetables, but remember, when making broccoli vegetable, cook it with the masala for only 3 to 4 minutes after the masala is well cooked. And when cooking with other vegetables, when all the vegetables are cooked, add the broccoli only 2-3 minutes before turning off the heat, or after the vegetable is cooked, add steamed, baked, or pre-boiled broccoli and turn off the heat immediately, because when cooked with other vegetables, broccoli will become mushy and spoil the taste of the other vegetables as well.
  6. Boiled, steamed, or baked broccoli can also be eaten with other salads like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce for weight loss, and besides this, a small bowl of broccoli can also be eaten as a single meal because the high fiber content in broccoli makes you feel full for a long time.
  7. In addition, broccoli can be used in many different ways in various dishes such as soup, pasta, pizza, momos, sprouts, veg and non-veg rolls, casseroles, shrimp burgers, and noodles.

Broccoli Recipe

How to make Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

  • Fresh broccoli - 1 cup
  • Green chopped onion - 2 to 3
  • Ginger - 1 small piece
  • Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
  • Green coriander - half a cup, chopped
  • Butter or olive oil – 2 spoons
  • All-purpose flour - 1 tablespoon
  • Milk - 1 cup
  • Fresh cream – half a cup
  • Salt, black pepper - to taste
  • Nutmeg powder - a pinch

Method

  1. Finely chop the onion, ginger, and garlic and fry in a spoonful of oil or butter on low heat for one minute.
  2. Add broccoli and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add about one cup of water and boil the entire mixture for 2 minutes. Add green coriander and turn off the gas.
  4. After it cools down, grind it in a mixer to make a puree.
  5. In the remaining butter or oil, add all-purpose flour and roast lightly for one minute. Add milk and cook, stirring continuously, until it thickens.
  6. Add the broccoli puree to this prepared white sauce and cook for another 2 minutes.
  7. Add salt, black pepper powder, and nutmeg. Add fresh cream and serve.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients

  • Baked, steamed, or boiled broccoli - 2 cups
  • Steamed carrots – 1 cup
  • Kale or spinach leaves
  • Tomato - 1 large or 8 to 10 cherry tomatoes
  • White sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon
  • Lettuce leaves - 4 to 5
  • Fresh mint leaves or mint powder
  • Olive oil, sesame oil, or butter – 1 spoon
  • Salt, white pepper powder – to taste
  • Lemon-sugar cooked syrup – 1 tablespoon
  • Roasted seeds - 1 spoon
  • Cheese - 2 spoons, grated
  • Chopped onion - 1 large or 2 green chopped onions

Method Heat oil or butter in a frying pan, add half a spoonful of white sesame seeds and let them splutter. Add carrots and cook for 1 minute, then add broccoli and fry for 2 minutes. Add spinach or kale leaves, stir, turn off the heat, and let it cool. In a bowl or plate, add fresh lettuce leaves, then add broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, onions, etc. Mix in salt, mint, black pepper powder, and lemon-sugar syrup. Garnish with the remaining sesame seeds, cheese, and roasted seeds, and serve the salad.