Broccoli - What's New and Beneficial!

Broccoli can provide you with some special cholesterol-lowering benefits if you will cook it by steaming. The fiber-related components in broccoli do a better job of binding together with bile acids in your digestive tract when they've been steamed. When this binding process takes place, it's easier for bile acids to be excreted, and the result is a lowering of your cholesterol levels. Raw broccoli still has cholesterol-lowering ability- just not as much.

• Broccoli has a strong, positive impact on our body's detoxification system, and researchers have recently identified one of the key reasons for this detox benefit. Glucoraphanin, gluconasturtiian, and glucobrassicin are 3 glucosinolate phytonutrients found in a special combination in broccoli. This dynamic trio is able to support all steps in body's detox process, including activation, neutralization, and elimination of unwanted contaminants. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are the detox-regulating molecules made from broccoli's glucosinolates, and they help control the detox process at a genetic level.
• Broccoli may help us solve our vitamin D deficiency epidemic. When large supplemental doses of vitamin D are needed to offset deficiency, ample supplies of vitamin K and vitamin A help keep our vitamin D metabolism in balance. Broccoli has an unusually strong combination of both vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene) and vitamin K. For people faced with the need to rebuild vitamin D stores through vitamin D supplements, broccoli may be an ideal food to include in the diet.

The above is just a small excerpt from the WHFOODS  site - continue reading for more reasons to make broccoli a big part of your life! I was  hooked after the first two paragraphs but there is so much more to be excited about so keep reading!!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9

The reason for my broccoli extravangza today is due to the fact that I picked up a super size bag of it from Costco recently.  It contains 16 cups of raw broccoli. There was no way I was going to use 16 cups before the best before date so I had to deal with it. It's prewashed but never mind -- I couldn't resist putting it into a bucket full of cold water to which I added salt and rinsed it a few more times for good measure.  I then steamed it, chilled it, froze it on a cookie sheet and then divided it into 2 cup portions.  I chopped the stems into itty bitty tiny pieces and did the same with them . They will make a great addition to my future soup pot. All this for $4.99 - a real bargain considering the excellent vitamins one cup contains as well as 4.6 gms of protein and 4.6 gms of fibre. Check out my recipes for chunky broccoli soup and udon noodles with broccoli.