Food June 20, 2018
Broccoli is good for you, but did you know broccoli sprouts are even better?
We all hate broccoli! We all hate Brussel sprouts! For some reason, those things have been held as pretty universal since we were kids. But now, here come broccoli sprouts — and there is a lot for us to love.
Simply put, broccoli sprouts are baby broccoli. They are three to four-day-old broccoli plants that look thin, leafy and very healthy. They may be small, but they actually pack quite the punch of nutrients that we all could benefit from.
According to Dr. Axe, broccoli sprouts contain extremely high levels of glucoraphanin, the glucosinolate precursor to the isothiocyanate sulforaphane. That’s a lot of long and complicated words, so to simplify another name for this compound is sulforaphane.
This compound has very impressive cancer-preventing and cancer-fighting capabilities, partly due to its ability to protect cells from becoming malignant. Sulforaphane has also been shown to support the heart, bones and respiratory system among many other things! It can also help detoxify the body, combat autoimmune diseases and boost the healing process against common diseases.
Broccoli sprouts are truly a superfood. They’re like the ambrosia of the gods — maybe the secret to immortality was really just pounds upon pounds of broccoli sprouts.
Wrong.
The main difference between broccoli sprouts and mature broccoli is age. As mentioned broccoli sprouts are just four to five days old, while full-grown broccoli reaches maturity between day 50 and 100.
You might think the plant would strengthen in nutrients with age, but it’s actually the opposite! According to Healthy Eating Advisor, sprouts actually contain fifty times more sulforaphane than fresh, mature broccoli. They also contain glucosinolates and isothiocyanates at levels 10 to 100 times greater than mature broccoli.
So while broccoli still has plenty of the same benefits as broccoli sprouts, it would take eating a lot more mature broccoli to get the same benefit that you would from a single serving of broccoli sprouts.
So now that you know they’re so great you want to eat them, right? Well, you’re in luck! Broccoli sprouts are incredibly easy to prepare!
The best way to eat broccoli sprouts and get the greatest benefit is to eat them raw. Make a salad with them. Replace the lettuce in your next sandwich with broccoli sprouts. Add them to your salsa. Sprinkle some on your wrap, stir-fry or tacos. Add them to your morning smoothie. Just straight up eat them as a snack! Just make sure to rinse them beforehand.
Happy healthy eating!
