Nutritional Facts For Boiled Broccoli With Butter

Former President George H.W. Bush famously proclaimed that he did not like broccoli, but he was missing out on a lot of nutrition packed into those small green "trees." Broccoli was just becoming a marketable vegetable in America around 1925, the year after Bush was born. Since then, it has become a commonplace emblem of healthy eating.

Vitamins

Broccoli is high in vitamin C, with a half-cup of cooked broccoli providing 80 percent of the recommended daily value, about the same as you'd get from eating a small orange. An antioxidant, vitamin C helps wounds heal and plays a role in the immune system. Broccoli is a good source of vitamin A, providing 25 to 30 percent of the daily value in a half-cup. Vitamin A, also an antioxidant and building block of the immune system, is vital to vision and bone growth. A half-cup of broccoli also provides about 20 percent of the daily value of folate, a B vitamin that's important in the production of cells, and more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin K, essential for blood clotting and healthy bones.

Minerals

A good source of potassium, broccoli offers 7 percent of the recommended daily intake in half a cup. Potassium has many jobs in the body, including roles in metabolism, growth and heart function. A half-cup of broccoli also contains 4 percent of the recommended intake of calcium, important for strong bones and teeth. It contributes 2 percent of the daily value of iron, an essential component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen throughout the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend steaming broccoli rather than boiling it, to keep its vitamin and mineral content intact.

Fiber

Your body can't digest dietary fiber, but it's important to your health nonetheless. A dieter's friend, fiber helps you feel fuller longer by adding bulk to your meals. It also aids digestion and helps prevent constipation. Research suggests that it may also lower cholesterol and blood pressure and help regulate the level of sugar in the blood, important news for diabetics and those at risk for the disease. A half-cup of broccoli provides 3 percent of the daily recommended value of dietary fiber.

Fat

The butter or margarine you lavish on your broccoli does contain some vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, but mostly it is a source of fat. Whether you favor real butter or margarine, a tbsp. contains about 11 g of fat. If you take in 2,000 calories a day, the recommended fat intake is 44 to 78 g. Real butter has much more unhealthy saturated fat than margarine, but many margarines contain trans fats, which may contribute to higher "bad" cholesterol and heart disease.