This is my all time favourite health hack as a naturopathic nutritionist …broccoli sprouts!
Unassuming I know, but in my honest opinion they are the ultimate superfood, move over spirulina!
Broccoli sprouts have been part of my lunch or dinner for the past year and I’m obsessed with them. They are definitely something you will want to consider adding to a meal/smoothie each day, and I would recommend to grow them yourself. They are unbelievably easy to grow and super cheap, most ‘superfoods’ can be costly but not broccoli sprouts!
Read until the end and I’ll tell you how to grow them - I messed up the first couple of times but now have it down to an art form!
By now I am sure you are wondering ‘what’s so great about broccoli sprouts?!’ When I learned about the NUMEROUS health benefits I was blown away.
They are packed with protein, fibre, vitamins (especially vitamin C, crucial for immune and skin health) minerals & phytochemicals (which are lovely bioactive plant compounds that you WANT)
✦ The phytochemicals are the main reason why broccoli sprouts are so incredible.
✦ They contain a substance called sulforaphane.
✦ 80g of broccoli sprouts have 100x more sulphoraphane than broccoli to put this in perspective.
✦ Sulforaphane is the compound behind most of the research interest in broccoli sprouts - it’s being studied for its anti-cancer effects
✦ Sulphoraphane may (proposed anti-cancer effects from studies):
→ Promote cancer cell apoptosis, or programmed cell death (cancer cells can evade being killed off when they become dysfunctional, which is one mechanism to how cancer can grow and spread, normal cells are programmed to die when something becomes faulty within them)
→ Inhibit angiogenesis, or the growth of new blood vessels which feed cancer cells (cancer cells promote their own blood supply so they can keep growing and create a tumour)
→ Reduce inflammation (chronic inflammation is a health issue for so many reasons, it can create pain, arthritis, gut issues, depression or anxiety, fatigue, weight gain, low immunity - leading to an environment where cancer cells can thrive)
→ Lower susceptibility to cancer-causing substances (broccoli sprouts support your liver with the ingredients it needs to DETOX things your body doesn’t want and eliminate them)
→ Reduce metastasis: the invasion & spread of cancerous cells to other areas away from the initial site of cancer cell development
The above sounds incredible, BUT WAIT there is even more….broccoli sprouts are not only anti-cancer powerhouses, they also have shown that they have effects on:
→ Regulating hormonal health: broccoli sprouts support people with excess oestrogen levels via another compound called indole-3-carbinole (I3C), which is also being studied for its anti-cancer properties.
The effects mentioned above on supporting liver detoxification enzymes also come into play with supporting hormonal health. Your body (liver) needs to process oestrogen before you can poop it out. If it’s not pooped out, your body can reabsorb oestrogen that was meant to be removed, so it can become in excess (PS constipation can also play a role in hormonal health issues). Excess oestrogen and specific types of more ‘harmful’ oestrogen have been implicated in many hormonal health issues like breast cancer, PCOS, endometriosis, PMS & uterine fibroids.
→ Supporting mental & brain health: is being researched for its role in brain health, via antioxidant and brain-cell-protecting mechanisms
→ Supporting gut health: reducing gastric infections and supporting gut lining integrity
→ Supporting heart health: cholesterol regulation and delivering high levels of coenzyme Q10, a powerful antioxidant
→ Lowering blood sugar levels: by improving insulin sensitivity
→ Support joint health: by reducing inflammation linked with arthritis
I could go on here, but are you convinced?
BTW you don’t have to remember all of this, just remember to eat your broccoli sprouts everyday.
They have a slight mustard-y/radish taste and are super easy and cheap to grow yourself, here’s how:
1. Get a sprouting jar (a glass jar with a lid with small holes in it/filter
2. Put 1 tbsp broccoli seeds in the jar
3. Fill with water to soak the seeds
4. Soak them for 4 HOURS - you will see the seeds start to bulge
5. Drain the water and leave the jar upside down so it continues to drain and the seeds receive air
6. Rinse the seeds about 4x per day for about 4-5 days - you will see the seeds start to make a tiny tail, and over the course of a few days they will grow into sprouts. Grow them until you’re happy with the end product, they should be about an inch long and have 2 small green leaves on the end of the sprout.
7. Put them in the fridge when they are finished growing, and they are ready to serve for your next few days of meals! Eat them raw on top of salads/stir-frys/curries/soups etc or throw them in a smoothie.
Important:you need to rinse them and drain as they can grow mould, you may see white fluff growing on them - this doesn’t mean that they have gone bad, it just means they need to be rinsed, and why its important to rinse throughout the day and not leave them for too long (rinse them when you go to bed and rinse them in the morning).
PS: It is really preferable to grow them yourself as ones from the grocery store can sometimes be contaminated with bacteria like Salmonella, E. Coli and Listeria, and since you are going to be eating them raw, the best way to minimise this is by growing them yourself. Honestly it is so easy and will save you so much money.
PPS: If you have a low thyroid (hypothyroid) you may not want to eat them everyday as they contain something called goitrogens which can affect your thyroid/iodine uptake. To be honest you have eat loads of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale etc) to probably have an effect on your thyroid, so best not to exclude them, just eat them less frequently as the health benefits can override the risks.
PPPS: High consumption of broccoli sprouts may affect some drugs like furosemide, verapamil, and ketoprofen; they are used to treat liquid retention, high blood pressure, and arthritis, respectively, so consult your GP before if this applies to you.