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Adriana Marteva\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
The next time you go to whip up a dish that includes broccoli, don’t stop once you’ve chopped it up. As it turns out, when raw broccoli is minced and left to sit for a period of time, it becomes even more nutritious. According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural Food And Chemistry<\/a>, the smaller raw broccoli is cut and the longer it sits before preparation, the more enhanced one of its cancer-protective compounds becomes. This powerhouse compound is called sulforaphane.<\/p>\n Sulforaphane is a\u00a0phytochemical produced within broccoli and other members of the cruciferous veggie club, as well as within beans and grains. Sulforaphane is connected to the science behind why picky eaters usually don’t like broccoli<\/a>, but more notably in the fight against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n Researchers have discovered that, when raw broccoli is minced, certain enzymes come into contact with each other, activating the sulforaphane. The more raw broccoli is broken down into a minced state, the more these enzymes work, resulting in more sulforaphane being present. However, don’t rush to cook or eat your minced broccoli. It needs to be exposed to the open air for at least 40 minutes or a maximum of 90 minutes to allow the enzymes to be released and sulforaphane to emerge.\u00a0Once the wait is over, the protective properties of sulforaphane are\u00a0present, meaning the broccoli is ready to be cooked or eaten raw.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Tricks for getting a nutrition boost when you’re short on time<\/p>\n
Brent Hofacker\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n If you’re short on time and don’t have 90 minutes to wait, studies indicate (via Healthline<\/a>) that\u00a0eating the broccoli raw without mincing or waiting will still provide high levels of sulforaphane. High-temperature cooking inhibits the enzyme activity necessary to activate sulforaphane within broccoli, but steaming or\u00a0lightly saut\u00e9ing minced broccoli for less than five minutes won’t entirely damage the enzyme activity.<\/p>\n However, if you’re needing to immediately cook broccoli at a high temperature \u2014 adding the minced bunch to a soup, for example \u2013\u00a0researchers have discovered a method that allows sulforaphane to still become activated. According to a study published by\u00a0Science Daily<\/a>, enzyme activity can activate sulforaphane after cooking, but only when the cooked broccoli comes in contact with another raw cruciferous vegetable, as it still contains one of the enzymes responsible for activation. For example, a small amount of ground mustard seed powder from mustard greens may help activate sulforaphane while adding a touch of flavor to your recipe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Frozen broccoli makes\u00a0the list of foods you should never buy frozen<\/a>, as the high-heat blanching process necessary for freezing disables enzyme activity. That said, mincing and seasoning for sulforaphane activation also works when cooking with store-bought frozen broccoli. If you’re eating frozen broccoli once it’s thawed and minced without further cooking, be sure to toss the broccoli in ground mustard seed before eating \u2014 or enjoy it in a minced raw broccoli salad with a warm mustard dressing.<\/a><\/p>\n
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