What are the vitamins in broccoli? Useful properties of broccoli

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

Vitamins that are part of

Broccoli contains many beneficial nutrients. This allows you to use it for medical and dietary nutrition, makes it indispensable for the introduction of complementary foods for 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. C (ascorbic acid) - in this vegetable it is more than 2 times in citrus fruits. It is needed to normalize the function of bone and connective tissue, restore immunity, protect the body from various infections and produce collagen.
2. A (retinol) - allows you to maintain eye health, regulate the amount of minerals in the body, improve skin metabolic processes.
3. PP (nicotine) - promotes rapid carbohydrate metabolism of living cells, the formation of enzymes and lipid metabolism, is involved in redox reactions.
4. K (fat-soluble) - helps to clot better, synthesizes protein metabolism.
5. E - helps rejuvenate and stop the signs of aging.
6. U (methylmethionine) - prevents the formation of ulcers, normalizes acidity.
7. B2 - improves the condition of the skin, nails and hair, digestion, vision, and the state of the nervous system.
8. B9 (folic acid) - contributes to the production of serotonin (the 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 state of the nervous system, helps lower cholesterol and blood sugar, improves the reproductive system.

If you want to know what vitamins and minerals broccoli also 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 vegetable can satisfy the daily human need for their consumption.

Calorie content of vegetable

Now that you know what vitamins in broccoli are, let's move on to another question: how high-calorie 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.

Beneficial features

What vitamins in broccoli and cauliflower, respectively, are available, has already been mentioned above. Now a little about the useful properties. And there are enough of them. 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 increased 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 the skin beautiful and healthy, protect the body from viruses and infections, get rid of itching, rash, arthritis, abscesses, kidney pathology, gout and rheumatism.

The benefits of vegetable for weight loss

Many nutritionists recommend broccoli to be included in the diet for weight loss due to its low calorie content and high fiber content. But to do this better, after boiling the vegetable for 5-7 a couple, without salt. You need to eat it with a small amount of lemon juice or vegetable oil. Mixing with mayonnaise and sour cream (even low-fat) is categorically not recommended, since you will not get the benefit of consuming cabbage. For the best result, you can adhere to such a diet:

1. The first 2 days: breakfast - 200 g of broccoli, 50 grams of rye bread (wheat - not!) And 1 tbsp. home-made nonfat 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, cloves of garlic, green onions and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. You can’t drink dinner with anything.
2. The second 2 days: breakfast - broccoli with sweet bell pepper (these vegetables need to be steamed!), Still lemon juice; lunch - 200 g of tuna, 200 g of broccoli, 2 small tomatoes; dinner - 1 Bulgarian pepper, 200 g of fresh broccoli.
3. The third 2 days: breakfast - 150 g of chicken ham, 100 g of raw cabbage, 1 tbsp. homemade yogurt; lunch - 200 g of broccoli, 1 piece of rye bread, 100 g of low-fat cheese; dinner - 200 g of boiled beef, 200 g of broccoli.
4. Fourth 2 days: breakfast - 100 g broccoli, 2 chicken eggs, 1 tbsp. nonfat milk; lunch - 300 g of chicken soup, 200 g of raw cabbage, 100 g of chicken; dinner - 200 g broccoli and 1 tbsp. fresh tomato juice.
5. Fifth 2 days: breakfast - 2 raw carrots, 1 tbsp. skim milk, 150 g broccoli; lunch - 200 g of boiled cabbage, 200 g of boiled chicken, 1 piece of rye bread. Dinner - 2 jacket potatoes, 200 g broccoli.

You should leave the diet carefully, gradually increasing the number of ingredients and adding new products. Flour, fatty and sweet foods are possible only a month after its completion. If during the diet you feel unwell or have a taste of acetone in your mouth, immediately terminate it and consult your doctor. Remember: with gastritis, a stomach ulcer and colitis, it is strictly forbidden to lose weight with broccoli.

Benefits for young children

If you ask mummies what vitamins in broccoli and green beans they are likely to shrug. But if parents of 6-7-month-old children ask what they feed them, then among other things they will call broccoli puree. It is with this product that many pediatricians recommend starting complementary foods. The thing is that it contains a large amount of protein, very useful for a growing organism. And, in addition, 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 unequivocally recommend broccoli for inclusion in the diet of a pregnant or lactating woman. The goals here can be different: to eliminate constipation, saturate your baby and your body with valuable vitamins and minerals (including calcium), strengthen bone tissues and teeth, better flow of breast milk, proper formation of fetal organs, preservation of intestinal microflora. There is only one contraindication here - individual intolerance to the product.

Contraindications

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

Proper use

In order for broccoli to retain its beneficial properties and the vitamins that make up its composition to the maximum, it must be properly prepared. You can boil a vegetable in a pan, but not more than 5 minutes. Instead, it is best to blanch or steam at a temperature not exceeding 100 ° C. Stew is allowed, but again no more than 5 minutes. In the finished form, broccoli to increase the content of nutrients is recommended to be mixed with mustard, radish, lettuce or arugula.

You can still make broccoli smoothies according to this recipe: take 0.5 heads of cabbage, chop and beat in a blender with a grated green apple. Add juice from half a lemon and a couple of pinches of dry spinach. Mix everything thoroughly, strain and pour into a glass. Have a drink while enjoying a pleasant taste. It is strongly not recommended to fry broccoli and cook vegetable soup from it.

Proper storage

In order for broccoli cabbage to retain its beneficial properties longer and not spoil, it must be properly stored. Nutritionists advise her to clean 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, put it on a clean cloth, towel or ordinary newspaper for drying, then transfer it to plastic containers and put it in the freezer. In this case, the shelf life is increased to 6 months.

Take note!

Now you know what vitamins are in broccoli and how to cook a vegetable properly. If you like its taste - it's great! If not, try sprouts instead of a cabbage. They taste good, smell good and are more nutritious compared to ripe vegetables. You can eat them raw, for example, adding to a salad or a light soup like okroshka. Perhaps they will suit your taste. Bon Appetit!