Is Broccoli Low Carbs? Broccoli is a low-carb green vegetable that faintly resembles a small tree. It is a family of plant species called Brassica oleracea. Broccoli is related to Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and cabbage.
It can also be termed as a cruciferous veggie that is filled with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Broccoli can be eaten raw or cooked, it can be blended into a smoothie or roasted to your preference.
We have three known varieties of broccoli, they are:
- Calabrese broccoli
- Sprouting broccoli and
- Purple cauliflower broccoli.
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Nutritional Information of Broccoli
Broccoli being a vegetable with a high dose of Vitamins, Minerals and Bioactive Compounds has the following nutrient to offer per cup of raw broccoli (91 grams per pack):
- Carbs – 6 grams
- Protein – 2.6 gram
- Fat – 0.3 grams
- Fiber – 2.4 grams
- Vitamin C – 135% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI)
- Vitamin A – 11% of the RDI
- Vitamin K – 116% of the RDI
- Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) – 14% of the RDI
- Potassium 8% of the RDI
- Phosphorus – 6% of the RDI
- Selenium – 3% of the RDI
Major Health Benefits of Broccoli as a Vegetable
Broccoli as a nutrient-filled vegetable can enhance your health in a multitude of ways, such as:
Promotion and protection of heart health:
Medically, antioxidants are molecules that inhibit or neutralize cell damage caused by free radicals in the system. Broccoli also contains a measurable amount of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which helps in preventing oxidative stress and cellular damage in your eyes. This may give the result of an overall health-protective effect.
Broccoli as a vegetable has high levels of glucoraphanin, which is a compound that gets changed into an important antioxidant called “sulforaphane” amidst digestion.
Scientific experiments have shown that sulforaphane offers multiple health benefits to the body system, these include reduced blood sugar, reduced cholesterol levels, oxidative stress, and chronic disease development. While these researches are not all conclusive, more research is being made on broccoli’s benefits to the human body system.
Its bioactive compounds may contribute to reduced inflammation:
Broccoli contains several bioactive compounds that are known to reduce inflammation in your body’s tissues. It is believed that various compounds work together to support this effect in the human tissues, though some seem to perform their duties individually as well.
Kaempferol as a flavonoid in broccoli demonstrates strong anti-inflammatory capacity in all the scientific research on broccoli. Moderate research in tobacco smokers also revealed that eating broccoli will lead to a significant reduction in markers of inflammation in the body system.
While these results are encouraging in a way, more research is still needed to better understand how broccoli consumption aids in the reduction of inflammation in humans.
Broccoli may protect against certain types of cancer:
Broccoli as a cruciferous vegetable contains various bioactive compounds that help reduce cell damage in the body caused by certain chronic diseases. Several small-scaled research has proven that eating cruciferous vegetables may assist us to protect the body against certain types of cancers like Breast, Prostate, Gastric, Colorectal, Renal, and Bladder amongst others.
Regardless of these enabling outcomes of the research, it is not adequately solid to make definitive health claims regarding broccoli’s role in cancer treatment or prevention. More researches are going on in the bid to determine the relationship between cruciferous vegetables and cancer prevention in our body.
Broccoli’s antioxidants and fiber may help out in blood sugar control:
Eating broccoli may support better blood sugar levels and control in people with diabetes. Although it is not known how this happens, it may be related to broccoli’s high rate of antioxidant content. A research study showed a significantly decreased insulin resistance in people with type 2 diabetes who consumed broccoli sprouts consistently for a whole month.
It is also noted that a research study on lab rats also revealed decreased blood sugar levels in addition to reduced pancreatic cell damage in diabetic rats fed broccoli extract.
Broccoli also serves as a good source of fiber. While some researches indicate that a higher intake of dietary fiber is associated with lower blood sugar and improved diabetic control more research is needed on humans to back up this scientific claim.
Broccoli helps promote healthy digestion and reduces constipation:
Broccoli as a cruciferous veggie is rich in fiber and antioxidants, both of which helps in having healthy bowel function and healthy digestion. Regularity in the bowel region and a strong community of healthy bacteria within your colon are the two important components of digestive health.
Eating fiber- and antioxidant-rich foods like broccoli will play a role in helping you maintain healthy bowel function. A research carried out in a lab animal on a broccoli diet resulted in reduced levels of inflammation in the colon, as well as favorable changes in its bowel’s bacteria.
Also, recent research on humans points towards the fact that people who ate broccoli were able to dispose of bowel waste more easily in the controlled grouping of the study. More scientific researches are needed in pointing out the total help gotten from Broccoli towards healthy digestion and easy bowel movements.
Promotes healthy bones and joints:
Most nutrients found in broccoli helps in supporting healthy bones while it prevents other disorders related to the bones. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin K and calcium aids in maintaining strong healthy bones.
It contains phosphorus, zinc, and vitamins A and C, which are also vital for healthy bones. Besides, early research on broccoli shows that certain antioxidants in broccoli can help prevent some forms of joint disorders in the human bones.
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Minor Health Benefits Of Broccoli
These are the benefits gotten from the nutrients in broccoli for the body.
Vitamin C: vitamin c helps in reducing your risk of chronic disease, helps manage high blood pressure, lowers your risk of heart disease, reduces blood uric acid levels and helps prevent gout attacks, helps prevent iron deficiency, and boosts immunity.
Vitamin A: vitamin A has been proven to lower the risk of cancer in the body, lowering the rate of vision loss, and helps in preventing measles.
Vitamin K: vitamin k helps promote blood clotting, helps support strong bones and prevents osteoporosis, helps keep blood pressure normal, and helps in lowering risks of cardiovascular diseases in the body.
Vitamin B9: This vitamin is also known as Folic acid, it helps in the production of red blood cells, helps in the synthesis of the DNA and it also aids with tissue growth and cell function.
Selenium: This is an important antioxidant that reduces the risk of certain cancers, protects against heart disease, helps prevent mental decline, plays a vital role in thyroid health, boosts your immune system, and helps reduce asthma symptoms.
Potassium: Potassium is one of the most vital minerals in the body system as it helps regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals. Potassium also aids in reducing blood pressure and water retention, protects against stroke, it also prevents osteoporosis and kidney stones.
Phosphorus: major benefits of phosphorus to the body are keeping the bones and teeth strong, helping the muscles contract, aiding muscle recovery after exercise, filtering and removing waste from the kidneys, promoting healthy nerve conduction throughout the body, making DNA and RNA, and managing the body’s energy usage and storage.
Conclusion
The low carbohydrates recorded in Broccoli nutritional facts make it one of the best leafy green cruciferous vegetables to be added to your meal at any point in time. The various health benefits gotten from Broccoli (although some still need more researching) allow us to eat healthy at a pocket-friendly price. This is a sure way to assist your body system in keeping visits to the doctor’s office at bay
