Cleanse Your Body: Broccoli is a Powerhouse to Help You Detox
Detoxification, or detox, has become an increasingly popular term used by many, especially among the health conscious. But what does detox really mean? Detoxification refers to the process in which toxins or impurities are removed from the body. While detoxification naturally occurs within the body, the process can be optimised by practicing good lifestyle habits and sticking to a healthy diet.
How Does Broccoli Help to Detox?
Consuming broccoli can help to boost your body’s detoxification process. Glucoraphanin is found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, and several-day-old broccoli sprouts have 15-fold more glucoraphanin than mature plants. Why is this important? The process of consuming cruciferous vegetables causes glucoraphanin to be hydrolysed to sulforaphane, which is the most potent naturally occurring inducer of phase II enzymes.
In a study conducted to investigate the effects of broccoli sprout extract on gene expression and acute liver injury in rat liver, results suggested that broccoli sprout extract protected the liver by inducing detoxification enzymes and glutathione synthesis. In short, broccoli can help to detoxify your body, fighting against airborne carcinogens and other oxidants that we unknowingly inhale every single day.
Additional Health Benefits of Broccoli
Beyond just helping your body detoxify, broccoli also boasts many additional health benefits, while being low in calories. Broccoli is one of the most nutritious vegetables you will find out there and can be considered a superfood.
Important nutrition found in broccoli include:
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin A
- Folate
- Vitamin B6
- Manganese
- Potassium
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Anti-cancer properties
The anti-cancer properties that broccoli possesses has been studied extensively, with research suggesting that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli being able to help prevent various forms of cancer such as cancers of the prostate, lungs, breast, and colon. As mentioned earlier, the detoxifying effect of broccoli due to sulforaphane can expel carcinogens from the body.
- Improving bone and teeth health
Broccoli is a great source of vitamin K, calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are crucial in maintaining bone density. This makes broccoli a fantastic vegetable option that you can add to your diet, especially if you are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis in the future.
- Improving liver health
Broccoli can help to protect your liver by increasing the amount of detoxification enzymes, as mentioned earlier. Your liver is a vital organ for the proper functioning of your body so add this vegetable to your diet to keep your liver healthy today!
Try Gracious Goodness Freeze-Dried Broccoli
While broccoli is simple to prepare and can be cooked in many ways, eating the plant raw or steamed is the best way to retain the nutrients it carries. However, this does get old and boring after a while, if you consume broccoli in this way regularly.
So why not give Gracious Goodness Freeze Dried Broccoli a try? The freeze-drying process retains the nutritional value of the original vegetable, but transforms your broccoli into crunchy, bite-sized chips that you can carry about anywhere you go! While snacking is often associated with unhealthy food that are high in fat, sugar and sodium content, our Freeze-Dried Broccoli is not only yummy but also beneficial for your health. With our Freeze-Dried Broccoli on hand, you can snack away guilt-free while staying healthy!
