Broccoli Sprouts: The Summer Superfood

Silvia Graber, Registered Nutritionist and Functional Medicine Practitioner specializing in digestion and mental health.

Suffering from estrogen dominance? PMS? Extra weight around your middle? Poor libido? History or risk of breast or other cancers? The unassuming broccoli sprout might just be something worth considering in your arsenal of daily healthy habits. Broccoli sprouts can support these conditions and many more, when included in your daily diet, and can be grown in the comfort of your own home, quickly and easily.

Broccoli sprouts were quite unassuming in the nutritional world until an article in the New York Times in the 90’s expressed the cancer-fighting properties of this wonder food. Since then, many more benefits have been found, from helping support estrogen-dominant conditions such as PCOS, PMS, and some cancers, to fighting some aggressive gut bugs such as H Pylori, and helping to heal and protect the gut lining. How does the lowly broccoli sprout do this? It is actually far from lowly, and comes packed with a nutrientrich wallop, as well as a generous amount of sulforaphane, which has been shown to be the main player in supporting these conditions, as well as the liver and its detoxification pathways.

Sulforaphane has pretty impressive cancer-preventing and cancer-fighting properties, and has been shown in some studies to support heart and respiratory conditions. Research also suggests it might have an influence on the genetic factors that influence your susceptibility to acquire certain cancers. Broccoli sprouts have been shown to help protect the gastric lining from oxidative stress and damage, which occurs with ulcers, and can help prevent re-occurrence of H Pylori overgrowth in the stomach.

Nutrient-wise, broccoli sprouts contain Vitamins A, C, calcium, and fibre, all in a bio-available form. Of note, they also carry about 10-100 times the sulforaphane found in regular broccoli. No wonder they are called a super-food!

Inspired? Here is the basic process for sprouting:

• Soak seeds 4-6 hours in water. • Rinse seeds 2-3 times daily, allowing them to drain via sprouting jar or in tilted bowl. Keep jar covered until sprouts start emerging and yellow leaves appear, and then you can keep on windowsill during the day to allow their green colour to emerge. • Sprouts will be ready in 2 to 4 days, when sprout is ¼ inch. • Dry completely; store in fridge for about 3 days.

You can add sprouts to any dish, raw or cooked. Have fun experimenting!

You can book a consultation with Silvia at sageheartnutrition@ gmail.com or visit her website at sageheartnutrition. wordpress.com

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