Food Therapy

Broccoli

We all know that broccoli is good for us, but why so much hype over such an everyday vegetable?

One of the reasons is its mega antioxidant content - in particular, broccoli is rich in a substance called indole-3-carbinol. Some research links indole-3-carbinol to a reduced risk of breast, prostate and other hormone-dependant cancers. If you are not a fan of broccoli, you will be pleased to hear that there are alternative sources - cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and pak choi will do the trick too.

Broccoli is also a great source of folic acid, magnesium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium and potassium.

But be careful how you cook your broccoli - a recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, found that boiled broccoli loses two-thirds of its flavonoid content, compared with a mind-blowing 97 per cent loss induced by microwave cooking. Analysis of other nutrients revealed similarly dire depreciations. So use your wok - stirfry or steam your veg for best results.