Broccoli is a unique and very unusual green vegetable. It belongs in the cabbage family. Therefore it is one of the most healthy plants for the human body. This is rich in various vitamins and minerals. This veggie contains vitamins C and K, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the connective and bone tissue, as well as for the healthy work of the kidneys.
Our titular veggie holds a record for its content of vitamin A among cabbage plants. For example, cabbage contains 0.3% vitamin A (3 µg per 100 g.), and the one we’re talking about – 42.9% (386 µg per 100 g.). The daily norm of this vitamin for an adult is 900 micrograms.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
- Calories, kcal: 28
- Proteins, g: 3.0
- Fat, g: 0.4
- Carbohydrates, g: 5.2
Nutritionists around the world recommend it to people who want to shape up and lose a few extra pounds. The main reason is the low-calorie content (no more than 30 kcal per 100 grams). And due to the high content of dietary fiber, this cabbage also correctly reduces appetite and cleans the intestines faster in a natural way. potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and iron
Top 7 broccoli smoothies
Green Apple
Ingredients
- 1 cup of broccoli
- 1 apple
- 1 banana
- 1/3 cup of pineapple
- 1/2 cup of almond milk
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsp of honey
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Peel the banana and pineapple. Cut them up into chunks and freeze them overnight beforehand.
- Juice the lemon (you can optionally add some lemon zest to the party).
- Peel the apple, extract the seeds and cube it.
- Chop up the broccoli.
- Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until an even texture.
Green Protein Shake
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 1 cup of spinach
- 1/2 cup of broccoli
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 1 pinch of basil dried
- salt optional
Instructions
- Remove the harsh stems from the spinach.
- Half the avocado, discard the pit and extract the pulp.
- Add the contents to a cup of a blender, pulse until homogeneous.
- Pour into glasses, add a few drops of olive oil (optional) and serve.
Avocado-Kale
Ingredients
- 2 cups of kale
- 2 cups of broccoli
- 1 carrot
- 1/4 avocado
- 1/2 lemon optional
- 1/2 tsp of soy sauce low sodium
- 1 pinch of sesame seeds
Instructions
- Peel the carrot and grate it.
- Juice the lemon (optionally zest)
- Remove the pit from the avocado and scoop out the pulp.
- You know the drill – blend it all. Then pour into glasses and sprinkle some additional sesame seeds to garnish.
Celery Juiciness
Ingredients
- 1 cup of broccoli
- 1 celery stick
- 1 sour apple
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp of maple syrup or to taste
- 1 cucumber
- 1 sprig of fresh dill
Instructions
- Chop up the cucumber.
- Peel the celery stick.
- Remove the seeds from the apple and cut it into chunks.
- Juice the lime.
- Use a blender to mix everything into a homogeneous liquid.
- Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh dill.
Groovy Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 cup of broccoli
- 1/3 cup of tomatoes
- 1/2 cup of orange bell peppers
- 1/3 cup of beetroot
- 1/3 cup of carrot
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp of lemon juice
- 1 tsp of olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the seeds from the bell peppers.
- Prepare the other vegetables: peel and cut the beetroot, carrot, garlic cloves.
- Use a blender to make a smooth puree of all the ingredients. When you pour the end product – don’t forget to add the olive oil and lemon juice.
Honeydew-Lime
Ingredients
- 200 grams of honeydew melon
- 25 grams of organic kale
- 70 grams of broccoli
- 200 ml of coconut water
- 2 sprigs of fresh mint to taste
- 1/2 lime
- ice cubes
- shelled hemp
Instructions
- Cut the melon up into cubes.
- Juice and zest the lime.
- remove the stems from the kale.
- Use a food processor to process the ingredients until they reach an even texture.
Tangy Puree
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of arugula
- 1 cup of broccoli
- 1 tsp of nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup of oats
Instructions
- Use a blender to beat the contents into a paste. Pour into glasses or bowls. If the consistency is too thick – try adding non-fat milk.
Chocolate-Strawberry
Ingredients
- 1 cup of strawberries
- 1/2 small banana
- 1/2 cup of chopped broccoli
- 1 handful raw spinach
- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 tbsp of carob powder
- 1 tbsp of shelled hemp seeds
Instructions
- Freeze the banana (peeled and cubed) and strawberries beforehand.
- Chop up the greens.
- Add everything to a blender and pulse until you reach a homogeneous liquid.
Benefits of broccoli for weight loss
It contains a large amount of fiber, proteins (that almost comes close to animal-based protein), amino acids (valine, threonine, tryptophan, lysine, leucine, methionine), antioxidants, which actively prevent the aging of cells in the body and are responsible for beauty and youth. That’s why many movie and show business stars prefer consuming it to lose weight.
There’s a whole list of components that have a very positive effect on the rate of fat and carbohydrate metabolism. And the B vitamins in it, in combination with chlorophyll, very actively contribute to the absorption of carbohydrate foods, forcing the body to work more actively, therefore spend calories faster, meaning that it accelerates metabolic processes.
Also, few people know that in fact, that it is a product with a harmful caloric content because the body spends more energy on its digestion than it receives from it. This fantastic food is also ready to fight not only with your weight but also with some diseases. For example, doctors recommend consuming this type of cabbage to people with heart failure, with disorders of the nervous system, constipation, and intoxication.
It very well strengthens blood vessels and cartilage tissue, cleanses the body of toxins, toxins and free radicals, rejuvenates the body and blood, copes with beriberi, improves the tone of the whole body.
And recent studies have shown that this green veggie contains a unique substance “sulforaphane,” which is responsible for the destruction of ulcerative bacteria in the stomach, which means that it favourably affects the work of the gastrointestinal tract as a whole, and also opposes the growth of cancer cells.
Broccoli Diet
We have already mentioned that our star veggie is a type of cabbage, although it tastes more like cauliflower. Therefore, you can try to use it as a substitute in those recipes that you are familiar with. For example, you can fry, boil, stew, bake it, serve it with sour cream, sauce or butter. However, note that when losing weight, the best option for cooking will be boiling, baking, or steaming.
Over the years people have learned to cook delicious diet soup, so our advice to you is: experiment, invent new masterpieces, and then your diet will acquire something unique and more advanced, thanks to vitamin and mineral diversity. Besides, losing weight with this product is very easy! After all, you can eat it as much as you want, without worrying about the extra calories, which, you see, is a very significant argument on fasting days.
This regime has a duration of 10 days and in fact, consists of 5 phases of two days. If you decide to slim down with the help of this vegetable, then the main and only condition will be the following: the green in any form must be consumed daily. And drink as much non-carbonated mineral water as possible (at least 2 liters a day).
Day one and two
- Breakfast: steamed or boiled green cabbage, preferably without adding salt and spices, green tea without sugar.
- Lunch: 180 gr. of chicken breast and a plate of chicken broth, 100 gr. Of the titular boiled vegetable, berry juice.
- Dinner: 200 gr. Broccoli steamed, one grapefruit, black tea.
Day three and four
- Breakfast: our green veg and bell pepper salad or vegetable stew, black tea without sugar.
- Lunch: vegetable stew with our cabbage and tomatoes, 200 gr. of tomato juice.
- Dinner: repeat today’s breakfast.
Day five and six
- Breakfast: 200 grams of light beef salad with the titular ingredient, seasoned with 10% sour cream or natural low-fat yogurt.
- Lunch: steamed veggies, some buckwheat cereal, a plate of chicken broth, mineral water.
- Dinner: boiled cabbage, tea without sugar.
Day Seven and Eight
- Breakfast: salad (with you-know-what), 2 hard-boiled eggs, black tea without sugar.
- Lunch: vegetable soup, one loaf of sourdough bread, green tea without sugar.
- Dinner: some veggies, 2 tomatoes, 200 gr. tomato juice.
Day nine and ten
- Breakfast: salad with a vinaigrette of your choice, black tea without sugar.
- Lunch: boiled broccoli and 150 gr. of cooked fish to your taste, berry juice.
- Dinner: steamed green cabbage or 150 gr. of boiled beef and a couple of baked potatoes, 200 gr. of kefir.
There are no alterations to this diet so if the result matters – you will not change the ingredients. It’s best you stick to it as it is. Keep in mind that the weight loss is significant and rapid and is suitable if you need to slim down pretty fast to fit into a dress or a pair of your favorite jeans. Here is some feedback:
About one and a half years ago, before one very important event in my life, I noticed that I have gained a few pounds and need to get rid of them fast. I found an article about this way of losing weight. I immediately decided to try these recommendations for yourself. To be honest, psychologically it was incredibly difficult for me to stick to it, since I simply cannot stand this vegetable. Of course, I got the result and that’s what really matters! – Shirley, 26
I have been eating this cabbage ever since I was a kid, so I have never been overweight. Since childhood, my mother taught me to eat properly, so I can’t even imagine what it means to eat junk food. After all, there is a lot of good food that is both useful and tasty, so I can’t imagine replacing them with junk food and sweets! – Sasha, 32
Conclusion: a healthy and nutritious way to lose weight
It is indeed a very versatile green! It’s delicious, compatible with other healthy food and there’s a variety of dishes that can be cooked with it! This cabbage is rich in indigestible fiber; these are the coarsest fibers that are necessary for the human gastrointestinal tract for normal functioning and high-quality cleaning.
Broccoli is a natural source of sulforaphane, a substance that can reduce the risk of cancer and reduce existing tumors, preventing them from developing. You can prevent disease by merely including this vegetable into your diet. But like every other fruit or veggie out there this one has its health restrictions as well.
You can not eat it raw and/or fried if you suffer from:
- increased acidity of the stomach, diseases of the pancreas;
- gastritis and ulcers;
- compliance with the diet prescribed by the doctor, which excludes the intake of food containing coarse fiber;
- individual intolerance.
Many regimes include it in the diet. You can arrange a fasting day on cabbage, or try a few other diets, for example, starch-free or bread-free. Even if you don’t want to confine yourself, try replacing a side dish with broccoli a few days a week, you can comfortably get rid of a few extra pounds and feed off with useful substances.