Seven Reasons to Stock Up on Broccoli

Remember when you were a kid and your mom would tell you to eat your vegetables? Well, you should have listened to her because they’re packed with nutrients. This is especially true for broccoli. Check out some of its health benefits below:

1. Prevents cancer. 

• Broccoli contains a bunch of properties that not only boosts the immune system, but fights off cancer as well. For starters, there is glucoraphanin, which the body turns into sulforaphane, an anti-cancer compound. Sulforaphane allows your body to get rid of any H. pylori, a bacterium that increases the risk of gastric cancer. Then, also found within broccoli, there’s the antioxidant compound indole-3-carbinol. This anti-carcinogen inhibits the growth of prostate, cervical and breast cancer, while improving liver function.

2. Reduces cholesterol. 

• Like a lot of vegetables, broccoli is full of soluble fiber. This means it lowers the cholesterol found in your body.

3. Helps with allergy reactions and inflammation. 

• Broccoli is a rich source of both kaempferol and isothiocyanates. These anti-inflammatory phyto nutrients have been proven to help those dealing with allergies, since they lessen the severity of their effects. Besides this, broccoli has a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, which work as an anti-inflammatory on the body.

4. Keeps bones strong.

• Since broccoli has high levels of vitamin K and calcium, this vegetable is a great source for bone health, especially when it comes to preventing osteoporosis.

5. Aids with your diet.

• Broccoli is a smart carb, so it’s loaded with fiber, which helps the body with digestion, keeps your blood sugar low, curbs your appetite and even prevents constipation. In fact, a cup of broccoli has the same amount of protein as a cup of rice does, except with only half the calories.

6. Leaves your heart in top shape.

• While we already know that sulforaphane can prevent cancer, it’s also plays a huge part on the heart. That’s because it has the ability to fend off or even reverse damage that inflammation brings to the blood vessel linings because of chronic blood sugar problems.

7. Alkalizes Your Body

• In order to keep the acidic level in your body down, it’s crucial to eat broccoli. When your body produces too much acid this causes a whole slew of problems like dry skin, ulcers, constant fatigue, and tooth nerve pain.

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