My 5 Favorite Foods for Gut Issues: #4 Broccoli
I’d like to introduce you to one of my all time favorite foods, broccoli.
Seriously, when I was a kid I LOVED broccoli and I still do.
My family likes to tell a funny story about me having dinner at my aunt and uncle's house.
My uncle wanted me to finish my corn before getting up from the dinner table so he said “You’d better finish your corn or you’ll have to eat broccoli instead”.
I happily replied, “Oh! I’d love some broccoli, thank you!”
To this day I LOVE broccoli, but I’d like to think I have a better way to prepare it than the steamed version I sometimes got as a kid.
If you’re thinking “Ewww, I hate steamed broccoli”, then you’re in luck.
The following recipe is NOT steamed and it's quite delicious.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
But before you go off munching your broccoli today, let me tell you a bit more about why I love it for digestive health.
Here are 3 reasons I love broccoli for a healthy digestive system:
Fiber- Broccoli is a great source of soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber adds bulk to your stool so you can stay regular and feed the healthy bacteria in your large intestine without even thinking about it. Fiber has also been shown to have many other health benefits like lowering risk of diabetes.
Glutathione- Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant, it’s often referred to as the 'master antioxidant' as it fights a wide array of free radicals in the body that create disease and cancer. Broccoli has been shown to boost our body’s natural ability to create glutathione in the liver. Eat your broccoli so you can prevent cancer (especially in the digestive system) and fight off liver related diseases like Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
Antimicrobial support- Broccoli has antimicrobial properties. This means it has powerful compounds in it that can actually fight bad bacteria that can end up in our gut microbiomes and cause issues for us like yeast or bacterial overgrowths. Incorporate broccoli into your diet so you can fight microbial overgrowths like Candida and SIBO and resolve your annoying symptoms like bloating, gas, IBS, fatigue and rashes.
Pro tip: Cook your broccoli rather than eating it raw.
Broccoli is a goitrogenic food.
This means that when consumed raw it can negatively impact (down regulate) your thyroid function.
Eating raw broccoli a few times a month shouldn’t be an issue, but to be safe try the recipe below to lessen its goitrogenic effects so you can enjoy broccoli's health benefits more often.
You MUST try this recipe if you:
*Experience occasional or frequent diarrhea
*Experience occasional or frequent constipation
*Struggle with high glucose levels
*Eat fewer than 2 cups of vegetables a day
*Dislike bland steamed broccoli
*Experience gas
*Experience bloating after meals
