I’m going to share with you why Broccoli can help you burn fat. I’m also going to tell you a little secret on how you can increase the amount of these nutrients to give you double the results. It’s something you can easily do from home. We’re also going to go over what broccoli is, what it’s proven to do and how much to take of it.
First off, what is broccoli? Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable which is super low in calories, high in fiber and packed with tons of vitamins and nutrients. One nutrient in particular is called ‘sulforaphane’. It is a naturally occurring compound in a lot of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale and even cauliflowers.
It is usually activated when you’re eating it chopped or chewed and its highest levels are usually found in raw vegetables. There are other little tricks to be able to get more sulforaphane. But first, what is ‘sulforaphane’ and why is it important?
Number one, sulforaphane helps you burn fat. In one study from Kanazawa University, Japan, they found that sulforaphane from broccoli sprouts actually causes a 20% decrease in body fat by changing the gut bacteria in the stomach which helps you digest better. It also increases mitochondria, which is the energy production mechanism in your body. Amazing! Sulforaphane actually helps you burn more fat.
One other benefit is that it has shown to destroy cancer cells while simultaneously strengthening mitochondria. In this study, they put sulforaphane in a Petri dish and it killed the cancer cells. It also prevented tumor growth rates as well. A lot of research is being put into sulforaphane to reverse cancer in humans.
Drug companies are also starting to test a few things by pulling out the compound and creating something called ‘sulforadex’. But you don’t even have to take the synthetic because there is a great way to get sulforaphane.
It helps your mitochondria make something called ATP that really creates energy for your entire body. That way, your mitochondria can actually handle stress better too. This also means that not only you get more energy but you can recover better as well.
Sulforaphane also makes your cells create detoxification enzymes to clear carcinogens and other toxins in your body. One study found that it increased excretion of airborne pollutants by 61%. If you’re breathing a lot of dust and stuff, sulforaphane helps you push that out of your body.
In another study, it has shown to reduce symptoms of autism. They did a double blind placebo controlled study on men with autism. They found that supplementing sulforaphane dramatically reduces the symptoms of autism which includes lethargy, irritability, hyperactivity etc. These patients just took the equivalent of a couple servings of broccoli a day.
So it doesn’t even take that much to reap benefits of ‘sulforaphane’. I’m going to share with you two ways you can get more sulforaphane in your diet. Number one, you can get it from broccoli sprouts. It’s super easy to make!
Take three teaspoons of broccoli sprout seeds in a mason jar and add about three inches of water. Let it sit for about 12-hours in a dark spot (not in the fridge) and then empty out the water. Rinse it out about twice a day for the next 5 to 6 days. Make sure you get a sprouting top that you can filter the water out. Once they start sprouting, you can store them in the fridge.
Now, the amount of how much you can eat is about half a cup to one cup of sprouts daily. You can throw it in your salads. You can throw it in your soup. You can throw it in your stews or you could just grab it and chew it as is. There are lots of ways to eat broccoli sprouts to get all the sulforaphane benefits in your diet.
Number two way of getting sulforaphane is to eat more broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, or brussel sprouts. These are all from the same types of families. You just need to make sure that you’re able to get access to sulforaphane by getting your veggies to release something called ‘myrosinase’.
Myrosinase is released when you chop, chew or gently cook the vegetable. What happens is that this enzyme mixes with another compound called ‘glucoraphanin’ that releases sulforaphane. Long story short: myrosinase + glucoraphanin = sulforaphane. So, lightly steam your veggies for about 3 to 4 minutes and you’ll triple the sulforaphane.
Last thing you need to note is to buy fresh veggies. A lot of times I actually talk to clients to have veggies in the freezer just to have something that can give you more volume of food (For example, if the goal is fat loss and you want to create more volume in your food, frozen veggies is fine).
If you want the benefits of sulforaphane, you’re going to want to eat your vegetables fresh and not frozen. A lot of times, frozen broccoli are usually blanched before packaging which deactivates the myrosinase, and therefore, unfortunately, no sulforaphane.
A couple of things to take away from this. Broccoli is an excellent source of nutrients, particularly sulforaphane. It can improve energy, helps you produce more ATP, kills cancer cells and gives other benefits including fat loss by helping you burn more fat.
In this episode I share how broccoli can actually help you burn more fat. You’ll also learn:
1️⃣ How you can get more nutrients, particularly sulforaphane from broccoli
2️⃣ The ONE plant that has 3x the amount of Sulforaphane
3️⃣ An easy way to make this in your home for ONLY a few dollars
For more episodes visit: https://www.fight.fitness/being-a-ninja-podcast/
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