Wednesday, February 19, 2025
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    Let broccoli relax before cooking

    THE STAR/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 broccoli, 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.

    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 nutrients can be released into water when broccoli is boiled, nutritionists recommend steaming the vegetable instead with little water. If you boil your broccoli, consider reusing the water in a soup or broth.

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