Make some steamed broccoli for dinner tonight (and maybe for lunch too!) Why? Because there is now scientific proof that broccoli, if it is cooked the right way actually does fight cancer!
And if you add in some broccoli sprouts along with that lightly steamed broccoli you get twice the benefit.
According to Elizabeth Jeffery, professor of nutrition, at Illinois University, “Broccoli, prepared correctly, is an extremely potent cancer-fighting agent—three to five servings a week are enough to have an effect. To get broccoli’s cancer-fighting benefits, though, the enzyme myrosinase has to be present; if it’s not there, sulforaphane, broccoli’s cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory component, doesn’t form.”
Which basically means--do not overcook your broccoli. Studies show that broccoli starts to break down chemically after cooking more than 5 minutes. The best way to steam your broccoli is with a steamer if you do not own a steamer you really should invest in one-- it is well worth the investment because it will cook your broccoli evenly in about 3-4 minutes.
So how does broccoli fight cancer? According to scientists, broccoli and other certain cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and watercress, have isothiocyaates (ITCs) that build up a gene known as P53, which gets suppressed when cancer starts to form. But when the ITCs from Broccoli, especially the broccoli sprouts, build up the P53 genes, they are literally helping to fight the cancer.
The study has been published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.