Research has shown repeatedly that cruciferous vegetables fight cancer.
In fact, broccoli has been shown to kill the stem cells that make cancer immortal.
While broccoli is a rich source of sulforaphane, sprouting broccoli boosts sulforaphane content to superfood levels.
Three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain 10- to 100-times higher levels of sulforaphane than a mature head of broccoli. Just one ounce of broccoli sprouts contain as much sulforaphane as 1 1/2 pounds of broccoli. Broccoli sprouts have been proven to be very effective in reducing breast cancer risks.
A University of Illinois study published in The British Journal of Nutrition suggests that combining broccoli with broccoli sprouts may make the vegetable’s anti-cancer effect almost twice as powerful.
According to Elizabeth Jeffery, a professor of nutrition at the university, it takes only 3 to 5 servings of broccoli per week to obtain cancer prevention benefits.
But it’s important that the broccoli you eat still has a live enzyme called myrosinase. This enzyme is needed to form the sulforaphane, its active cancer-fighting substance.
The problem is that many people overcook their broccoli. Cooking broccoli too long or at too high a heat will destroy the myrosinase. One study showed that two minutes in a microwave or seven minutes of steaming will destroy myrosinase.
Jeffery recommends steaming broccoli for only two to four minutes to protect both the enzyme and the vegetable’s other nutrients.