The Amazing Health Benefits of Broccoli Juicing Recipes
When it comes to its nutritional profile and antioxidant content broccoli stands apart from many other vegetables. For this reason it is sometimes quoted as the ‘king of vegetables’. Just one cup of broccoli provides twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C and vitamin K. Broccoli is also a great source of beta-carotene, chlorophyll, potassium, fiber and antioxidants called sulforaphane and indoles. Together, these and other nutrients provide the many health benefits of broccoli.
The high vitamin C content of broccoli is a great boost to our immune system and helps protect us from viruses such as colds, flu and ear infections. Vitamin C is also a nutrient that is essential to heart health. Vitamin C is needed to create collagen, a substance that is needed to build and repair strong and supple arteries. If there is not enough vitamin C in the body then we cannot create collagen and cholesterol is used instead to build our arteries. This is one of the fundamental causes of arteriosclerosis!
In addition to this vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects cholesterol in the blood stream from the damaging effects of unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals. When cholesterol becomes damaged in this way it attaches itself to the artery wall and begins to build up into a plaque. This is another main cause of arteriosclerosis! So eating vitamin C rich broccoli everyday goes along way to protecting us from heart disease!
Protecting us from cancer is another potent health benefit of broccoli. The antioxidants in broccoli called indoles inhibit the production of an estrogen based chemical that may cause the growth of tumors in prostate cells and breast cells. This is one of the reasons that people who eat the most broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables that contain indoles) are considerable less likely to be afflicted with prostate or breast cancer.
Sulforaphane is also another anti-cancer antioxidant that is found in broccoli. Sulforaphane stimulates the production of detoxifying enzymes created in the liver. These enzymes remove carcinogenic substances from the body such as toxic heavy metals and pesticides. This helps to improve our immune system and greatly reduces our chances of developing many kinds of cancers.
For sulforaphane to be released from broccoli it needs to be chewed or cut. Making homemade broccoli juicing recipes is an exceptionally good method for releasing an abundance of sulforaphane from broccoli. The blade in a juicing machine (if you are looking for a juicer I recommend Jack Lalanne power juicer review) cuts the fibers in broccoli to shreds puring forth sulforaphane into the resulting juice.
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