Broccoli is a branchy green vegetable that can have purple or typically green flower buds. They belong to the Brassicaceae family, along with cauliflower, cabbage and kale. They can be eaten raw or cooked. A study of Nutrition Research found that regular consumption of steamed broccoli reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Don’t eat broccoli with yellow flowers. They should not be eaten because in this case they are vegetables that have gone bad. In the most extreme cases, the presence of mold can also be found in small patches. Just when you notice molds you have to pay close attention. If the broccoli is no longer fresh it may have gone bad. In this case, one could encounter the food poisoning. Symptoms are severe abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, sweating, diarrhea, dizziness, migraine, loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, hepatitis. Fruit and vegetable products could be contaminated in contact with the soil and with fertilizers but also with polluted water. The food poisonings of these products are salmonella, escherichia coli, listeria monocytogenes, norovirus, yersinia enterocolitica, campylobacter.
How to store broccoli? For 3 days you could put them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. Another way is to place their stem in a jar of water. In this way they can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days but it all depends on the degree of freshness at the time of purchase. For best results you can change the water once a day. Beware of those cooked in a pan or in the oven. They can be placed in the fridge for no more than 2 days as long as they are placed tightly closed in a container with an airtight cap. If, on the other hand, you want to keep them for 3-4 months, then you have to blanch them and then freeze them. Blanching broccoli is very simple. You have to put them in boiling water for a few minutes. Then pass them immediately in ice water. At this point they should be placed in the freezer in containers with freezer-safe caps. When thawed, they lose their firmness.
What are the benefits of broccoli? They contain sulforaphane which helps reduce the risk of some types of cancer. They contain carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin which reduce age-related eye disorders and in particular macular degeneration and cataracts. They provide beta-carotene which our body converts into vitamin A whose deficiency leads to night blindness. They possess indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which reduces the risk of breast cancer. They are rich in sulfur and are good for intestinal health. Some scientific research has shown that sulforaphane helps reduce blood sugar levels. In addition, this same substance helps prevent or slow down osteoarthritis. The carotenoids found in it protect against heart disease and strengthen the immune system.