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Originally from Italy, broccoli, a member of the cruciferous
family, was brought to France during the 16th Century and is now
one of the world's most-loved and beneficial vegetables.
Broccoli is virtually fat-free, low in sodium and contains
more vitamin C than an orange! Vitamin C is great for your hair,
skin, teeth, fighting infections and keeping red blood cells
healthy. Broccoli is also a good source of folate, iron, fibre,
potassium and vitamin K, and has more calcium than a glass of
milk. Calcium helps to keep you heart beating regularly and
promotes sleep, while vitamin K helps maintain strong bones and
is essential for the clotting of blood. Broccoli may also help
to protect against lung and breast cancer as it removes estrogen
from the body.
Phytochemicals found in broccoli help to boost our immune system
and this in turn helps to prevent a number of conditions such as
heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, stomach ulcers and
cancer.
There are many ways to cook broccoli – steaming, boiling
and shocking (also known as blanching) are a few of these.
However, we benefit from it most when stir-fried or microwaved.
Broccoli contains many of the vitamins and minerals the body
needs to remain healthy so why not try throwing some broccoli
florets into a pasta dish, salad or stir-fry!
Broccoli, Fresh, Raw per 100g serving:
21.1 kcal, 2.7g prot,
1.1g carb,
0.5g fat,
1.6g fibre
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