Why you should eat broccoli every week

Super food broccoli! The green “little tree” is not only versatile and super tasty, it also brings a number of benefits for your health.

Broccoli contains a very special plant compound. It is called sulforaphane and belongs to the mustard oil glycosides. What makes it special is that it activates the body’s own antioxidant systems. Here are 3 reasons why sulforaphane from broccoli is a real power ingredient:

The sulforaphane from broccoli activates a special protein in your body called Nrf2, which has a big influence on your metabolism. Inside your cells there are small power plants that produce energy all day long and burn calories while they do it.

These cell power plants are called mitochondria. The activation of Nrf2 gets your mitochondria to fire up more strongly. They produce more ATP (the energy currency of your cells) and use up more calories to do so.

Nrf2 can also promote fat burning. In studies with mice it was able to protect against excess weight. The mice were given a special calorie rich diet on which they normally put on a lot of weight. Those mice in which Nrf2 was activated did not put on as much weight.

Here are studies that look into the effect of Nrf2 on mitochondria and metabolism:

1. Esteras N, Abramov AY. Nrf2 as a regulator of mitochondrial function: Energy metabolism and beyond. Free Radic Biol Med. 2022 Aug 20;189:136-153. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2022.07.013. Epub 2022 Jul 30. PMID: 35918014.
2. Albena T. Dinkova-Kostova, Andrey Y. Abramov. The emerging role of Nrf2 in mitochondrial function. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. Volume 88, Part B. 2015. Pages 179-188.
3. Carrasco-Pozo C, Tan KN, Borges K. Sulforaphane is anticonvulsant and improves mitochondrial function. J Neurochem. 2015 Dec;135(5):932-42. doi: 10.1111/jnc.13361. Epub 2015 Oct 8. PMID: 26365487.
4. Negrette-Guzmán M, Huerta-Yepez S, Tapia E, Pedraza-Chaverri J. Modulation of mitochondrial functions by the indirect antioxidant sulforaphane: a seemingly contradictory dual role and an integrative hypothesis. Free Radic Biol Med. 2013 Dec;65:1078-1089. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2013.08.182. Epub 2013 Aug 30. PMID: 23999506.
5. Vomhof-Dekrey EE, Picklo MJ Sr. The Nrf2-antioxidant response element pathway: a target for regulating energy metabolism. J Nutr Biochem. 2012 Oct;23(10):1201-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2012.03.005. Epub 2012 Jul 21. PMID: 22819548.
6. Soona Shin,a Junko Wakabayashi et.al. Role of Nrf2 in prevention of high-fat diet-induced obesity by synthetic triterpenoid CDDO-Imidazolide. Eur J Pharmacol. 2009 Oct 12; 620(1-3): 138-144.

Nrf2 is a transcription factor and can be activated by various substances in food, such as sulforaphane from cabbage vegetables. Other foods contain Nrf2 activators too:

Foods that activate Nrf2

• Garlic and onion (sulphur compounds)
• Broccoli, cabbage, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, pak choi and Brussels sprouts (sulforaphane)
• Lingonberries, mulberries, blueberries, bilberries, grapes, jackfruit, peanuts (resveratrol and pterostilbene)
• Olives and olive oil (oleuropein)
• Pomegranate (delphinidin, cyanidin and pelargonidin)
• Green tea (epigallocatechin-3-gallate or EGCG)
• Turmeric (curcumin)

The transcription factor Nrf2 activates genes that control the body’s own antioxidant system and in this way protects against damage from oxidative stress. ⁵ Nrf2 activators are even being researched in the context of COVID-19 therapeutics (source: the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research).

“The pandemic triggered by the novel SARS-CoV-2 is confronting the German health system with challenges that were unknown until now. At present there are no effective therapies for treating COVID-19, the lung disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Inflammation and the damage it causes to the lower airways are major causes of morbidity in severe courses of COVID-19.

A targeted activation of the body’s own immune response could therefore be a useful addition to antiviral therapies. The so called Nrf2 signalling pathway represents an attractive therapeutic target for this. In the joint project COVID-Protect, anti inflammatory, cell protecting and antiviral effects of Nrf2 activating substances are to be researched. “

Sulforaphane is a strong indirect antioxidant, so it can reduce oxidative stress and “catch” free radicals. ⁵ Unlike vitamin C, vitamin E or β-carotene, the active substance does not neutralise free radicals directly, but indirectly, by activating certain enzymes. This sets the body’s own antioxidant defence mechanisms in motion.⁶

In various studies, both in cell culture and in animal experiments, an effect of sulforaphane that inhibits tumour cells has been demonstrated. Studies showed that sulforaphane from broccoli and other similar vegetables can inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer and strengthen the effect of chemotherapy.⁷

1. Broccoli! Our tip: make yourself a tasty broccoli salad and try broccoli raw as well (for more sulforaphane).
2. Brussels sprouts! The little buds are not only tasty and versatile, they also supply plenty of vitamin K and vitamin C.
3. White cabbage! As tasty sauerkraut, white cabbage supplies plenty of good lactic acid bacteria for a healthy gut alongside its sulforaphane. Best eaten raw.
4. Cauliflower! The all rounder also works well as a low carbohydrate alternative to mashed potato. It is popular in the keto and low-carb world even in pizza bases and as a rice alternative.
5. Kale! It is best given a gentle massage before cooking to break open the fibrous structures. Did you know? Kale supplies almost twice as much calcium as milk.

As you already know by now, broccoli contains sulforaphane, which helps against tumour cells, works as an indirect antioxidant and can even influence fat burning. Strictly speaking, though, broccoli does not contain sulforaphane itself, but a precursor of it. The precursor molecule is called glucoraphanin. Only when the broccoli is cut and chopped does this molecule come into contact with an enzyme from the broccoli. The enzyme changes the precursor, and then the effective sulforaphane is formed.

The enzyme responsible for this conversion is destroyed by heat, however. So if you boil the broccoli, there is no chance for the sulforaphane to form.

It is therefore better to chop the broccoli first and then wait a while, for example 40 minutes. During this time the enzyme has time to produce the sulforaphane. After that you can eat the broccoli raw in a salad or lightly steam it. Boiling is fine too, but please do not pour the cooking water away, otherwise you pour the water soluble sulforaphane down the sink as well.

One more tip: in broccoli sprouts the sulforaphane content is up to 100 times higher.

Do you fancy a tasty broccoli recipe now? Then why not try our broccoli soup with mozzarella!

1. Cevapcici with ajvar and broccoli rice
2. Fried broccoli with parmesan and celeriac purée
3. Broccoli with steamed salmon
4. Lemony halloumi with broccoli
5. Creamy broccoli soup with prawns

Have you really got a taste for trying out delicious recipes with broccoli? Then treat yourself to your individual Foodpunk nutrition plan, for enjoyment and health in one!