Ingredients
3 cups of frozen broccoli florets
3 garlic cloves
1.5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
dash of salt
pinch of pepper

Chop the garlic into evenly sliced chips.  This lets them brown evenly.

Heat up the pan on low heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic.  Cook until the half of the garlic starts to brown. Remove from heat and let the garlic cook until the color turns golden.  If the garlic turns dark brown, it’s overcooked and will taste bitter.

Transfer the cooked garlic on a paper towel for the oil to absorb.  Leave some oil in the pan.

Steam the frozen broccoli for about 7 minutes and then sauté for about 30 seconds in the pan containing the infused garlic olive oil.  Toss the broccoli around while adding the salt and pepper.

Transfer to a plate and pour the garlic chips over the broccoli.

Imagine my surprise when I read a new research report that the healthiest methods for cooking veggies seem to be microwaving or cooking on a flat metal surface without any oil. After all, on the Internet we can find thousands of diatribes on the dangers of microwave cooking. Several of my friends have junked their microwaves or given them away to people they don’t like.
Researchers at the University of Murcia and Madrid’s University of Complutense in Spain examined how six different cooking methods affected the antioxidant activity of 20 different vegetables. We get most of our nutritional antioxidants from vegetables and fruit. They may prevent cancer and other diseases.
The six cooking methods were boiling, pressure-cooking, baking, microwaving, frying, and cooking without oil, which they called griddling. The vegetables were artichokes, asparagus, beets (beetroot), fava beans (broad beans), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn (maize), eggplant, garlic, green beans, leeks, onions, peas, green peppers, spinach, Swiss chard, and zucchini.
The Spanish scientists published their findings as “Influence of Cooking Methods on Antioxidant Activity of Vegetables” in the April 2009 issue of the Journal of Food Science, a publication of the Institute of Food Technologists. The free full-text of the article is online.
“Depending on the vegetable in question, griddling and microwave cooking produced the lowest losses, while pressure-cooking and boiling lead to the greatest losses,” the study concluded. “In short, water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables.”
Cooking anything at more than about 115 to 118 degrees destroys their enzymes, according to many raw food fans. So you can imagine my further surprise when I read in this new study that some of the vegetables that they cooked actually increased their antioxidant levels.
The safest vegetable to cook is the artichoke. No matter what cooking method the Spanish scientists subjected this tasty thistle to they couldn’t detect any loss of nutrients.
In fact, all cooking methods increased antioxidant levels of celery and carrots. All methods except boiling increased antioxidant levels of green beans.
The scientists tested their fat-soluble (lipoperoxyl) and water-soluble (hydroxyl) radical scavenging capacity. Vegetable have both types of antioxidant compounds, which function synergistically.
In terms of fat-soluble radical scavenging, microwave cooking works best for eggplant, corn, pepper, and Swiss chard, all of which significantly increase their capacity. Artichoke, asparagus, garlic, onion, and spinach keep the same capacity that they have in raw form. Fava beans and beets lose 5 percent and 30 percent of their fat-soluble scavenging capacity respectively. The worst vegetable to microwave in terms of fat-soluble radical scavenging is cauliflower, which loses more than half of its capacity.
In terms of water-soluble radical scavenging, microwave cooking works best for celery, which significantly increases its capacity. Beets, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, garlic, green beans, leek, corn, and peas keep essentially the same capacity that they have in raw form. The worst vegetables to microwave in terms of water-soluble radical scavenging are peppers and Swiss chard, which lose 30 percent or more of their capacity

Here’s another reason to eat your broccoli: UCLA researchers report that a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may help protect against respiratory inflammation that causes conditions like asthma, allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Published in the March edition of the journal Clinical Immunology, the research shows that sulforaphane, a chemical in broccoli, triggers an increase of antioxidant enzymes in the human airway that offers protection against the onslaught of free radicals that we breathe in every day in polluted air, pollen, diesel exhaust and tobacco smoke. A supercharged form of oxygen, free radicals can cause oxidative tissue damage, which leads to inflammation and respiratory conditions like asthma.

“This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts — a readily available food source — offered potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant response in humans,” said Dr. Marc Riedl, the study’s principal investigator and an assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“We found a two- to three-fold increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli sprouts,” Riedl said. “This strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions.”

The UCLA team worked with 65 volunteers who were given varying oral doses of either broccoli or alfalfa sprout preparations for three days. Broccoli sprouts are the richest natural source of sulforaphane; the alfalfa sprouts, which do not contain the compound, served as a placebo.

Rinses of nasal passages were collected at the beginning and end of the study to assess the gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in cells of the upper airways. Researchers found significant increases of antioxidant enzymes at broccoli sprout doses of 100 grams and higher, compared with the placebo group.

The maximum broccoli sprout dosage of 200 grams generated a 101-percent increase of an antioxidant enzyme called GSTP1 and a 199-percent increase of another key enzyme called NQO1.

“A major advantage of sulforaphane is that it appears to increase a broad array of antioxidant enzymes, which may help the compound’s effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air pollution,” Riedl said.

According to the authors, no serious side effects occurred in study participants receiving broccoli sprouts, demonstrating that this may be an effective, safe antioxidant strategy to help reduce the inflammatory impact of free radicals.

Riedl notes that more research needs to be done to examine the benefits of sulforaphane for specific respiratory conditions. It is too early to recommend a particular dosage.

Riedl recommends including broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables as part of a healthy diet.

By:  Dr. Marc Riedl

Story from REDORBIT NEWS:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/display/?id=1648177

Published: 2009/03/03 08:59:47 CST

There’s another reason to add some broccoli to your diet. Scientists have found a link between delicious broccoli and prostate cancer. Don’t worry, it’s a positive link.

22 men in Eastern England were given 400 grams of either broccoli or peas a week in addition to their normal diet for a year.

The small addition of broccoli showed some promise of reducing the risk of developing prostate cancer. Since other fruits and vegetables have also shown to reduce prostate cancer risk, further studies are required to confirm this. Still, it’s a small win for broccoli.

Source

~ Kin