Broccoli, as a representative vegetable of the cruciferous family, is often praised by nutrition experts from all over the world.
For many people who have a Xi of exercise, broccoli is one of the most common ingredients in their recipes, especially for those who lose fat.
Why is there always the name of broccoli in fat loss recipes? "Life Times" invited experts to interpret and teach you to eat broccoli correctly.
Broccoli, a typical high-protein vegetable
Su Hao, a professor at the School of Sports and Human Sciences of Beijing Sport University, said that there may be five reasons why people who lose fat prefer broccoli.
Satiety
When losing fat, on the one hand, it is necessary to reduce calorie intake and reduce body fat percentage, and on the other hand, it should not cause intense hunger and preserve muscle mass.
Broccoli fits this requirement because it is low in calories and rich in dietary fiber, which is not only effective in improving satiety, but also promotes the movement of food in the digestive tract and is beneficial for bowel movements.
In addition, broccoli is a vegetable with a low glycemic index, and consuming it does not cause a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar, which reduces hunger pangs and can reduce cravings for unhealthy foods.
Promotes muscle growth
Building muscle requires a lot of protein, and broccoli is a typical high-protein vegetable, containing 2.8 grams of protein per 100 grams (USDA data), and it also allows the body to release more creatine to help muscle growth.
In addition, broccoli is rich in folic acid, which promotes the formation of red blood cells, which help transport oxygen and other nutrients from the bloodstream to the muscles, thereby improving bone health.
Helps the body recover
After a workout, there will be a certain amount of damage to the muscle fiber tissue, which requires the body to repair itself, and broccoli can speed up this process.
This is because broccoli is rich in vitamin C, which is essential for collagen synthesis, which aids in the body's recovery and reduces post-workout inflammatory responses such as muscle soreness, physical fatigue, etc.
In addition, studies have found that sulforaphane in broccoli can promote the production of thioredoxin, which is an important substance for protecting heart cells.
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
After high-intensity exercise, immunity will temporarily decrease, and broccoli is rich in a bioactive compound, sulforaphane, which can stimulate the immune response and initiate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response in the body.
In addition, sulforaphane has a good antioxidant effect, which helps to delay aging. At the same time, broccoli is also a recognized vegetable with anti-cancer active ingredients.
Improves concentration
Antioxidants such as lutein, vitamin K and β carotene found in broccoli have been shown to improve brain health and memory, allowing people to stay focused and improve their performance during exercise.
Both are cruciferous, what is the difference between broccoli and cauliflower?
At present, the common cauliflower on the market is mainly broccoli (green cauliflower) and cauliflower (cabbage flower), what is the difference in nutrition between them?
Source: China Food Composition Chart (6th Edition)
In general, cruciferous vegetables are rich in dietary fiber and a variety of minerals and vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin B2, β carotene, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc., which are high in potassium and low in sodium, which helps control blood pressure and maintain cardiovascular health.
The common Chinese cabbage, small cabbage, white radish, red heart radish, rape, etc., are actually members of the cruciferous family.
There's a key step in cooking broccoli: blanching
Why is it recommended to blanch water before cooking? Ren Jianjun, a registered dietitian in China, proposed several major benefits.
1. Blanched broccoli will appear greener, look better and make people more appetizing.
2. Helps reduce oil. Broccoli is made up of many small flower bulbs with many gaps in them, which are easy to absorb oil when cooking, and after blanching, the ability of broccoli to absorb oil will be greatly reduced.
3. It can reduce the cooking time, because the broccoli has reached five or six maturity levels after blanching.
4. Helps to remove the special taste of glucosinosides.
Steps:
Wash the broccoli and break it into flowers of the right size for later use, put an appropriate amount of water in a pot, bring to a boil over high heat, and add a small amount of vegetable oil and salt to the water, which can form a protective film on the surface of the broccoli to prevent chlorophyll oxidation.
After the water boils, add the broccoli, blanch for about 1 minute, remove it, and quickly cool the water before proceeding to the next step of cooking. ▲
Editor of this issue: Xu Menglian
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