Learn why you should incorporate more broccoli into your diet as you age.
Most people know that a healthy diet should include plenty of green vegetables. But do you know why broccoli should be a cornerstone to your diet? Here are 5 benefits you’ll from more broccoli in your diet:
Cancer Prevention
Broccoli contains a compound called sulforaphane that is strongly associated with protection against cancer. Research has shown that just 3 or 4 servings of broccoli per week can help reduce men’s prostate cancer risk by over 60%. Broccoli also contains flavonoids and other antioxidants that can provide additional protection against cancer.
Inflammation Control
Chronic inflammation, which can cause your immune system to attack itself, can result in chronic degenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and heart disease. Broccoli contains a compound called DIM that can boost your immune system and heal inflammation. Additionally, when you digest the fiber in broccoli, it breaks down into short chain fatty acids that can reduce your risk of inflammatory disease. Fiber also activates a gene for producing immune cells in your digestive tract that keep your “good” gut bacteria healthy.
Support for Energy Metabolism
As the years go by, the body loses its capacity to create NAD, a compound involved in mitochondrial health and energy metabolism. While NAD cannot be replaced directly, it can be boosted by replacing its precursor, NMN. NMN results in improvement in many different areas related to your metabolism, including better blood sugar control, better weight control, and more efficient conversion of food into energy. NMN can be found in broccoli, as well as other green vegetables like cabbage.
Detoxification
Modern life subjects us to a wide range of environmental pollutants and toxins that can cause cancer and disrupt the endocrine system. Like many vegetables that are rich in water and nutrients, broccoli supports liver function, which helps your body’s natural detoxification system work its best and limit the impact of toxins on your health.
Osteoporosis Protection
Both men and women can lose bone density as they age, making them more prone to fractures and possible loss of mobility. Broccoli contains almost as much calcium as a glass of whole milk, making it an excellent source of this nutrient for people who are lactose intolerant or who are watching their weight.
How You Cook Your Broccoli Matters
If you want to get the most health benefits from the broccoli you eat—and especially if you want the anti-cancer effect of sulforaphane—broccoli should be lightly steamed. Raw broccoli delivers only 12% of the total possible sulforaphane, while frozen broccoli has less of the enzyme required to create sulforaphane. If you overcook your broccoli, other compounds will snap up the sulforaphane and make it inaccessible to you.
For information about additional ways you can use nutrition to promote healthy aging, please contact Renew Youth™. We have a variety of nutritional supplements and injectable nutrients available.