Unlike other vegetables, the longer you leave broccoli to rest after cutting, the more cancer-preventing plant substances are formed. — dpa
Eat your greens, by all means – just wait a little first when it comes to broccoli.
Nutritional experts believe you can greatly increase the health benefits of broccoli by waiting between chopping and cooking.
Generally, fresh fruits and vegetables should be eaten as quickly as possible once they have been cut.
That’s because oxygen in the air gradually destroys valuable nutrients like vitamin C.
But it’s a different story with broccoli.
Once you cut open the green vegetable with its florets, an enzyme is activated that converts the so-called mustard oil glycosides it contains into sulphoraphane, explains nutritional expert Andrea Danitschek.
This substance has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer, notably prostate, breast, colon and oral cancers.
And yet, if you throw your broccoli straight into the frying pan after chopping, you’re also throwing away potential sulphoraphane.
That’s because the more time you give the glycoside enzymes after cutting, the more sulphoraphane is formed.
One study found that broccoli left to sit for 90 minutes before frying had more than twice the amount of cancer-preventing substances in it than broccoli that was fried immediately after chopping.
Broccoli is certainly edible raw, but for those who prefer it cooked, it helps to know that we lose valuable nutrients in the cooking process.
As many nutrients can be released into water when broccoli is boiled, nutritionists recommend steaming the vegetable instead with only a little water.
If you do boil your broccoli, consider reusing the cooking water, e.g. in a broccoli soup or broth. – dpa
