In the world of natural health supplements, some of the most expensive you can buy are derived from broccoli. And at 90 dollars a bottle and up, people are still paying for it. But why?

The single word to answer this question is sulforaphane, the polyphenolic superstar that has ushered in a tidal wave of research funding and general interest in broccoli and other sulforaphane-containing brassica veggies like kale.

Most of the research on sulforaphane has focused on its magnificent anti-carcinogenic properties. Broccoli and other sulforaphane-rich veggies operate along multiple metabolic pathways to regulate healthy cellular behaviour, reduce inflammation, and prevent cancer cells from ever developing in the first place. Sulforaphane seems to be especially protective against stomach cancer and even stomach ulcers. In keeping with the theme of mucus membranes, it is also gaining attention for its ability to help repair skin damage from ultraviolet light exposure. And that’s not even all it does. Recent research has determined that broccoli is a perfect athlete’s food: sulforaphane has also been shown to benefit muscle growth by stimulating stem cell activity.

Best Practices

Chopping up broccoli releases myrosinase, the enzyme that converts less beneficial broccoli compounds into the mighty sulforaphane. Since excessive heat will destroy myrosinase, overcooking broccoli will drastically reduce the amount of sulforaphane left in your meal, if there is even any left at all. Boiling broccoli is quite wasteful for this reason, but also because many nutrients abundant in raw broccoli leak into the water, such as vitamins C, K, A, and folate. Even heat-stable minerals like iron, calcium and zinc can be lost this way.

Steaming broccoli just enough to soften it has traditionally been considered the ideal way to cook it without degrading its precious micronutrients. However, the microwave may be another dark horse candidate for making the most of broccoli’s essence.

Are you shocked? I was too! But some interesting new research has shown that in the first minute of microwaving, sulforaphane content in broccoli goes up as much as 600 per cent! It would seem that there is a temperature sweet spot between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius where myrosinase activity peaks (before sharply declining if the heat keeps rising). So mild heat and brief exposure are the critical guiding philosophies when cooking broccoli.