Broccoli has long been hailed as a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamins, minerals, and a particularly beneficial compound called sulforaphane. This compound has been linked to blood sugar control and potential anti-cancer properties, making broccoli a go-to vegetable for health enthusiasts. However, recent research suggests that how you prepare broccoli can significantly impact the amount of sulforaphane you get and the best method might require a little more time than you’re used to.
A study published in 2018 by a team of Chinese researchers in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry sought to find the best way to cook broccoli to maximize its sulforaphane content. The results were clear, but the process might be a bit of a tough sell for those who want quick and easy meal prep.
Here’s the science behind it: Broccoli doesn’t contain sulforaphane directly. Instead, it has compounds called glucosinolates and an enzyme called myrosinase. When broccoli is damaged (like when it’s chopped), myrosinase goes to work, converting glucosinolates into sulforaphane. However, cooking methods like boiling or microwaving can destroy myrosinase, drastically reducing the sulforaphane content.
To get the most sulforaphane from your broccoli, the research team suggests a somewhat unconventional approach. First, chop the broccoli into small pieces to trigger myrosinase activity. Then, instead of cooking it immediately, let it sit for about 90 minutes. This waiting period allows the broccoli to develop more sulforaphane before it’s exposed to heat. When the researchers stir-fried the broccoli right away, it had 2.8 times less sulforaphane than when they let it sit for 90 minutes before cooking.
If waiting an hour and a half before cooking sounds like a lot of work, the researchers also noted that a 30-minute waiting period could still yield good results. They’re even looking into ways to make the process less time-consuming in the future.
So, if you’re not ready to commit to a 90-minute wait, consider incorporating some raw broccoli into your diet or chopping it up in advance to let it rest before cooking. It might just be the key to unlocking broccoli’s full nutritional potential.
