When was the last time you tried broccoli? Isn’t it about time you put this fat burning food on your plate?
It doesn’t mater where you look, broccoli is making noises for all of the right reasons. Just do a search for “broccoli health benefits”, and you’ll find that we might be talking about the king of all veggies!
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It seems that more and more people are starting to jump on the broccoli band wagon. Currently there seem to be new articles, news stories and scientific studies outlining the cruciferous vegetable’s health benefits.
But hang on a minute. Is this the same stuff that I used to absolutely hate as a kid?
Not The Peoples’ Favorite
As a young boy I used to make a fuss about eating broccoli. But fortunately for me my mother insisted that I eat it up. And right she was too. These days, broccoli is actually one of my favorite foods.
But I know that for a lot of people, it might not have been as easy to forgive and forget where this veg is concerned. But I’m here to say that it is time to give it another go.
Don’t forget that our taste buds mature as we get older. But not only that. I’ve discovered that the more we learn about the foods we eat, the more it influences our choices. So here’s some really cool information that will bounce broccoli back into your good books.
High In Calcium And Vitamin C
You might find this hard to believe, but ounce for ounce, broccoli contains as much calcium as a glass of milk. And calcium is well known for its fat fighting prowess.
Pretty impressive isn’t it? Bu did you also know that 1 medium spear contains 3 times as much fibre as a slice of wheat bran bread, and more vitamin C than an orange!
The great thing about all of these extra nutrients, is that they make your body work harder to break them down, thus increasing your metabolism and burning fat. But all of this doesn’t come at the expense of higher calories; this is a low-calorie food.
A good tip if you want to lose belly fat really quickly is to replace the grains and “white” carbohydrates in your diet with cruciferous veg. Or even better, swap out the fried foods for some of the green stuff for rapid weight loss.
Does Broccoli Help Prevent Cancer?
Like I said at the beginning, there are almost too many nutrients to list. But here is a list of the main phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in broccoli:
Vitamins C, E, multiple B and K vitamins, folic acid, lutein, zeaxanthin, iron magnesium, potassium, calcium, beta-carotene and fiber.
Although a lot of the nutrients listed above might not mean a lot to you, a combination of these guys means that 3 portions of leafy greens per week significantly reduces the risk of stomach cancer. And stomach cancer is the fourth most common cancer world wide.
But it is not just the risk of stomach cancer that is reduced. Colon, breast, prostate and other cancers are also fought off by the natural chemicals found in broccoli. Incidentally, these chemicals are also present in cauliflower, brussels sprouts and cabbage. And broccoli sprouts contain 10 times more of the anti-cancer chemical sulforaphane than mature broccoli.
I feel like the list of health benefits just gets longer. And there’s more to this fat burning super food’s kitbag:
Alzheimer’s
Diabetes
Arthritis
High blood cholesterol
Calcification of the muscles
Atherosclerosis – arterial plaques and other inflammatory diseases
So if your health, and the health of your family is important to you, I hope I’ve given you enough information to help put broccoli back on your plates.
Enough About Health – How Does Broccoli Help Us To Lose Belly Fat?
One of the reasons that stubborn belly fat has become such a big problem is the presence of estrogenic compounds in our diet.
These estrogenic compounds (xenoestrogens) come from the pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed onto our crops and found in the foods that are fed to the animals we eat. Incidentally, one of the most highly treated foods, and contributor of estrogenic compounds is soy, the so-called “health food”.
Now it doesn’t matter if you are male or female, these xenoestrogens cause us to store stubborn belly fat, or hold on to the body fat we already have. So if you want to lose your belly fat then you’re going to need to beat this threat, right?
And that is where broccoli comes in, because it does exactly that.
One of the helpful phytochemicals in cruciferous veg is indole-3-carbinol (I3C). This stuff actually helps inhibit the effects of estrogenic compounds in your diet by promoting “good” hormones and working against “bad” ones.
So what do you think? One of the most powerful fat burning foods, eh? Not to mention all of the health benefits and nutrients it has to offer. I hope I’ve given you enough information to show you that this stuff really does belong at your dinner (and lunch!) table.
Broccoli is just one of the delicious Fat Burning Foods listed on my blog. I’ll show you all of the best, and a list of Negative Calorie Foods that will speed up your metabolism and help you lose belly fat.