Broccoli is low in fat and calories, but high in nutrients. This vegetable is as healthy as it is versatile. You can serve fresh broccoli with low-fat dip, or add it to salads. Cooked broccoli is a classic side dish, but the vegetable also adds texture, color and nutrition to casseroles, stir-fries and omelets.
Serving Size
Fresh broccoli stalks or tops are greater in volume than cooked broccoli, making by-weight comparisons more accurate than by-volume comparisons. 100 grams of cooked broccoli is roughly equivalent to ¾ of a cup, while 100 grams of raw broccoli is equivalent to about 1 1/2 cups.
Fat, Calories and Sodium
100 grams of cooked or fresh broccoli contains an average of 31 calories. The vegetable is virtually sodium- and fat-free, with less than 0.3 grams of fat per serving. This serving of broccoli has just 1 to 2 percent of the daily value (DV) for sodium.
Protein, Carbs and Fiber
Raw broccoli tops or stalks provide 3 grams of protein, which is about 6 percent of the DV. The 2.4 grams of protein in cooked broccoli equates to just under 5 percent of the DV. There are 5.2 grams of carbohydrates in fresh broccoli tops and stalks and 7.2 grams of carbs in cooked broccoli. The 100-gram serving of either fresh or cooked broccoli delivers 11 to 12 percent of the fiber you need each day.
Vitamin C
Fresh and cooked broccoli are both excellent sources of vitamin C. 100 grams of raw broccoli tops or stalks deliver 155 percent of the DV for vitamin C, while cooked broccoli delivers 108 percent of the DV for vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps protect you from illness and some of the effects of aging. The nutrient also promotes collagen production, which helps your body recover from wounds.
Vitamin A
More of broccoli's vitamin A content is clustered in its flower heads. A 100-gram serving of raw broccoli tops delivers 60 percent of the DV for vitamin A, compared to the 8 percent of the DV available in the stalks. Cooked broccoli, which tends to use both stalks and tops, generally gives you 31 percent of the DV for vitamin A in each 100-gram serving. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point out that frozen broccoli may contain only flower heads, making frozen broccoli higher in vitamin A than from-scratch cooked broccoli stalks with both the flower and stalk attached.
Folate
A 100-gram serving of raw broccoli stalks and tops provides 18 percent of the folate that you need each day. Cooked broccoli's folate content is even higher: 27 percent of the DV. Folate promotes healthy cell production, making it an especially important nutrient to consume during pregnancy.
Minerals
Cooked or raw broccoli provides between 8 and 9 percent of the potassium you need each day in every 100-gram serving. It has 10 to 11 percent of the DV for manganese. You'll also get between 4 and 5 percent of the calcium and iron you need each day from either fresh or cooked broccoli, and about 6 percent of the DV for magnesium. In most cases, the amount of available minerals is slightly higher in 100 grams of fresh broccoli than 100 grams of cooked broccoli, but you'll have to eat 1 1/2 cups fresh broccoli to get those nutrients, compared to ¾ of a cup of cooked broccoli.
Member Comments