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Step 1
Buy organically grown broccoli that you can purchase at your local farmers market or whole foods store. Selecting broccoli is easy. Look for dark, green-color broccoli with fresh bud flowers on it. Don't buy if the leaves are turning yellow or the vegetable is limp and dehydrated. Fresh broccoli is firm to the touch and uniformly green on the leaves and the stalks.
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Step 2
Wash the broccoli under cool, running water for a few minutes to remove all residue, insects and dirt. Pat lightly on a cotton cloth or paper towel to dry. Pull off any dead or damaged leaves or stalks. Cut off about a half inch of the base of the stalk; this part is usually too fibrous and bitter to eat.
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Step 3
Quick steam or grill your broccoli to maintain all of the nutritional benefits. Although there are many ways to cook broccoli, steaming or grilling is the healthiest. Don't overcook or you will loose all of the nutrients. Serve broccoli that is still slightly firm to the touch.
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Step 4
Broccoli contains folate, which helps protect against cancers, heart disease and neurological problems (especially birth defects in developing fetuses). Many doctors advise women to increase their broccoli intake during pregnancy. The 1998 RDAs for folate for adult men and women (aged 19 years and older) is 400 mcg. During pregnancy, the daily intake should be increased to 500 mcg, and the RDA for breastfeeding women is 500 mcg.
Comments
ziffle12 said
on 11/7/2009 I HATE broccoli and,like former president George Bush, will not eat it. All of the other writers can have my share.