List Of Fat Burning Foods: Broccoli

Whether you love it or loathe it, one thing is for sure: broccoli is a true fat burning food. Let's find out why...

According to a CNN Health article I read recently, Broccoli certainly seems to be the king of cruciferous veggies. In fact, it might even be king of all veggies!

With almost too many health benefits to mention, you would be hard pressed not to fall over the amount of quality research findings into this cruciferous vegetable.

But the funny thing is, and I bet a lot of you were the same, when I was growing up I couldn't stand the stuff!

Not The Childrens' Favorite

I used to tut and moan under my breath when my mum served broccoli up for dinner. But I'm glad she stuck to her guns. These days, brace yourselves, I actually really quite like it!

But if you're one of those people that's not so keen on broccoli, then I think it's time to give it another go.

If there is one thing that I've learned while I've been studying fat burning foods, it's that the more you understand the foods you eat, the better your choices become. So here are some cool facts about the green stuff that'll turn you into a huge fan.

How Much Calcium?

You might find this hard to believe, but ounce for ounce, broccoli contains as much calcium as a glass of milk. And calcium is well known for its fat fighting prowess.

Personally, I think that is a pretty amazing fact, and I was shocked to make that discovery. But that's not where it ends. I was even more surprised to learn that broccoli contains more vitamin c than an orange, and 1 medium spear contains 3 times the fiber of a slice of wheat bran bread.

The great thing about all of these extra nutrients, is that they make your body work harder to break them down, thus increasing your metabolism and burning fat. But all of this doesn't come at the expense of higher calories; this is a low-calorie food.

If you fill up on the green stuff rather than fries you will lose that belly fat in double-quick time.

Can Broccoli Help Prevent Cancer?

Like I said at the beginning, there are almost too many nutrients to list. But here is a list of the main phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in broccoli:

Folic acid, K vitamins, vitamin C, E, multiple B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and fibre.

Hardly surprising then that 3 or more portions per week of leafy vegetables significantly reduces the risk of stomach cancer. Not bad when you consider that it's the fourth most common cancer in the world.

It's good to know then, that broccoli doesn't just stop with stomach cancer. The natural chemicals it contains also helps fight hormonal cancers such as breast and prostate, and colon and other cancers too. You'll also find these anti-cancer chemicals in cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts (I've never learned to love the sprouts!). One of the most potent anti-cancer, natural chemicals is sulforaphane. This is 10 times more common in broccoli sprouts vs mature broccoli by the way.

But let's not just stop at cancer. A real fat burning super food would help to protect us from loads of degenerative disorders. And so it does. Here's a full list:

Alzheimer's

Diabetes

Arthritis

High blood cholesterol

Calcification of the muscles

Atherosclerosis - arterial plaques and other inflammatory diseases

The list of health benefits is quite amazing isn't it. I hope I've given you enough reasons to put this back on your menu, or maybe eat a little bit more every week.

What Are Broccoli's Fat Fighting Credentials?

One of the major contributors to stubborn belly fat is the presence of estrogenic compounds in our diet.

These estrogenic compounds (xenoestrogens) come from the pesticides and herbicides that are sprayed onto our crops and found in the foods that are fed to the animals we eat. Incidentally, one of the most highly treated foods, and contributor of estrogenic compounds is soy, the so-called "health food".

Now it doesn't matter if you are male or female, these xenoestrogens cause us to store stubborn belly fat, or hold on to the body fat we already have. So if you want to lose your belly fat then you're going to need to beat this threat, right?

Well guess what? Broccoli can help us do just that!

Ever heard of indole-3-carbinol (I3C)? Me neither until recently. This stuff is found in cruciferous vegetables and actually helps inhibit the effects of estrogenic compounds our food supply. It promotes "good" hormones and working against "bad" ones caused by estrogenic compounds.

So there you have it, one of the most powerful fat burning foods I've ever come across. I hope you'll be adding this to your family's menu from now on.

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