Your mother had good reason to tell you to eat your broccoli. Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that provides a wealth of nutrients. In addition to vitamins and minerals, broccoli offers fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants -- all of which may help prevent chronic disease. Low in calories, broccoli makes a healthy addition to your diet.
Calories and Macronutrients
In 1 ½ cups of cooked broccoli, you get 81 calories and less than 1 g of fat. This amount of broccoli provides 5.7 g of incomplete protein, meaning it lacks one or more of the essential amino acids your body cannot produce on its own. Broccoli provides 16.8 g of carbohydrates per 1 ½ cups. Of these carbohydrates, 9 g are fiber, which helps regulate digestion and fight high cholesterol. This serving of broccoli also contains 3 g of naturally occurring sugar.
Vitamins
Broccoli provides you with vitamin A to support healthy eyesight. A 1 ½-cup serving contains 3,621 international units, or IU, of vitamin A, more than 100 percent of the daily value based on the standard USDA 2,000-calorie diet. A 1 ½-cup serving of broccoli also contains more than 100 percent of your vitamin C needs and 300 percent of your vitamin K needs. Broccoli is also a source of vitamin E, with 3.3 mg per 1 1/2 cups. Vitamins C and E are also antioxidants. Broccoli contains several B vitamins, including 252 mcg of folate in 1 1 /2 cups. Folate helps prevent certain birth defects in the unborn and promotes red blood cell function. Adults should get about 400 mcg of this vitamin daily.
Minerals
If you eat 1 ½ cups of broccoli, you get 93. 6 mg of calcium -- almost 10 percent of the 1,000 mg you need daily, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Broccoli also provides 1.5 mg of iron per 1 ½ cups, as well as more than 10 percent of the daily value for magnesium, phosphorus and manganese. A 1 ½-cup serving of broccoli provides 687 mg of potassium to help you regulate fluid and mineral balance – more than that found in a large banana.
Other Nutrients
Additional antioxidants present in broccoli include selenium, quercetin, lutein and zeaxanthin. Antioxidants work to rid the body of disease-causing free radicals acquired through exposure to pollution, pesticides and even some foods. As a cruciferous vegetable, broccoli contains glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, types of phytochemicals -- compounds that may have anti-cancer properties.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamin A
- Office of Dietary Supplements; National Institutes of Health; Vitamin C
- Medline Plus; Folic Acid in the Diet
- Linus Pauling Institute; Cruciferous Vegetables; Jane Higdon, PhD; July 2005
- "Mini Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry"; Potential Health Benefits of Broccoli - a Chemico-Biological Overview; H. R. Vasanthi, et al; June 2009
- Institute of Medicine; Dietary Reference Values
- USDA Nutrient Database; Broccoli, Cooked, Boiled, Drained, Without Salt
- American Cancer Society: Broccoli
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