Broccoli rabe, even though it’s not as popular as most other leafy green superfoods, is an interesting-looking vegetable with so many health benefits to offer.
It boasts of dark green-colored leaves that are very much ruffled, plus it sports tiny florets that kind of look like broccoli. Actually, broccoli rabe is related to broccoli and other members of the cruciferous family of vegetables. As everybody knows, cruciferous veggies are dense in detoxifying compounds and various health-giving nutrients. This only means that the inclusion of broccoli rabe in your diet on a regular basis comes with so many perks.
Especially if you don’t mind eating most types of vegetables, you are not going to have a challenging time welcoming broccoli rabe into your life — it has a flavor that’s kind of bitter and spicy, just like mustard leaves.
What’s so nice about broccoli rabe is it’s so versatile that you may consume it raw or cooked. And there are so many ways of cooking it — boiling, steaming, baking, sautéing and stir-frying. But if you don’t have plenty of time to cook, simply slice and toss it in your bowl of fresh garden salad.
Here are some of the benefits you can get simply by consuming broccoli rabe regularly:
Strengthened Immunity
Did you know that consuming 2 cups of chopped up broccoli rabe gives you nearly all of the vitamin C you need for a day? This only means that adding lots of this cruciferous vegetable to your diet can help make you less susceptible to infections of the upper respiratory tract, especially during the season of flu and the common cold.
Beautified Skin
Vitamin C in broccoli rabe is vital not only for bolstering your immunity, but also beautifying your skin. That’s because the said vitamin is actually an antioxidant that zaps free radicals before they cause damage to your skin cells. What’s more, vitamin C is needed for the production of collagen, a type of protein that makes your skin young and firm.
Maintained Smile
Eating broccoli rabe regularly gives you a reason to smile more often. It’s for the fact that the vegetable’s vitamin C is needed for keeping the gums healthy. What’s more, there is also good amounts of calcium present in broccoli rabe, which means that eating it on a regular basis can help keep your pearly whites super strong.
Lowered Osteoporosis Risk
We all know that calcium is necessary for keeping the bones tough. Since there is calcium in every serving of broccoli rabe, eating the said cruciferous veggie can help lower your risk of having osteoporosis one day. Aside from calcium, there are a couple of other bone-strengthening nutrients present in broccoli rabe: phosphorous and potassium.
Controlled Blood Pressure
Speaking of potassium in broccoli rabe, the said mineral is highly beneficial for people with hypertension or at risk of it. That’s because potassium can help lower high blood pressure by causing the blood vessels to widen. Maintaining normal blood pressure is one of the secrets to lowering a person’s risk of heart disease.
Reduced Risk of Cancer
Scientists say that cruciferous vegetables are excellent fighters of cancer due to the presence of glucosinolates in them. Once in your body, those glucosinolates are converted into compounds that help fight off cancer cells. Since broccoli rabe is a cruciferous vegetable, then it’s something that can help considerably lower your risk of having cancer.
Eliminated Toxins
Cruciferous vegetables are well-loved by health-conscious individuals due to the fact that they are excellent detoxifiers of the body. What makes these veggies very good at such is the fact that they are loaded with sulfuric compounds that neutralize poisonous substances. To keep your body toxin-free, eat broccoli rabe regularly.
