8 Facts About Broccoli

Very often, athletes choose a certain nutrition plan to achieve their goals, not taking into account the need for variety in their food basket. Sometimes this is based on hearing how this or that nutrition plan has already brought tremendous results to “colleagues on the barbell.” For the purposes of our health this isn’t always a reasonable choice to make. One more time, I want to say that in order to build a beautiful body and develop optimal power indicators, an athlete’s nutrition needs to be varied. There are so many good food choices out there. In this article I want to focus on just one single product.

In this case, broccoli.

The health benefits of this vegetable can’t be overstated.

Let’s start with the most important aspects of its impact on the body.

The first is that it contains an enormous amount of fiber which helps to maintain the good health of the intestine, the correct microflora and allows the body to assimilate all micronutrients.

The second benefit of this food is a large vegetable-protein content. In terms of indispensable amino acids, broccoli is not inferior to either the hen or even the standard for the amino acid profile – egg whites, and also contains isoleucine, leucine and tryptophan.

The third – and very significant – benefit is caloric value. 100 grams of broccoli contains 34 calories, and as half of the product is fiber, the caloric content is quite insignificant. This is important for those athletes who need to stay within their weight category, especially in the competitive period.

The fourth benefit to broccoli ist that it contains important micro- and macro- elements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, iodine, copper, zinc and silicon.

The fifth – it contains pro-vitamin beta-carotene important for the athlete, which in the body turns into an active fat-soluble form of vitamin A known as retinol. In addition, broccoli contains water-soluble vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B6, as well as vitamin C, more so even than citrus fruits. In broccoli this vitamin is present in the form of ascorbic acid, which hardly breaks down at all. This is very important for an athlete since vitamin C is involved in the formation of collagen fibers (ligaments, tendons, skin).

The sixth – broccoli contains antibacterial substances – phytoncides, that contribute to the maintenance of the body’s immune system.

The seventh – for those who are intensively training, broccoli includes sulforaphane and indole-3 carbinol, that perform the work of “cleaners” and support the processes of detoxification and preventing the aging of cells. It is also known that the juice from broccoli positively affects the neutralization of staphylococcus, Helicobacter infection (ulcers and erosions of the gastrointestinal tract) and tuberculosis rod.

The eighth reason why broccoli should be included in the diet is the availability of tartronic acid, which inhibits the conversion of carbohydrates to fats (especially “bad” cholesterol) to help prevent an athlete from becoming overweight and obese.

And even if after all these positive effects of just this one product you are still wondering whether you should include it in your diet or not, I recommend you try cooking broccoli as a side dish in your nutrition plan. Try some spices with it, for example, garlic. It won’t only be useful, but also very tasty.

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