Broccoli is a source of calcium, it's got a bit of phosphorus (and if you do need some--just not too much), it's got a lot of boron which is necessary for building and keeping bones.
Here's a recipe from Dr. Weil:
Clean a bunch of broccoli and break into bite size pieces, peeling the stem so it will be tender. Put in a pot with 1/4 cup of water, 1 T extra virgin olive oil, and several mashed cloves of garlic. Bring to a boil, cover tightly. When the broccoli is bright green in about 5 minutes, uncover, boil down the liquid so it makes a good "sauce" and serve. Or add to whole wheat pasta penne and season with red pepper flakes and parmesan for a whole dish.
Trish
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yuuuuuuuck broccoli... I eat the stuff because it is good for me... but YUCK!
Thanks for the great reminder why I cook the green trees!
Traci
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Thanks Trish,
I love broccoli and need more calcium in my diet. I don't like milk though my DH could drink a 1/2 gallon of it a day. I especially like the receipe. My In Law's (anxiety starting) are visiting us in a few weeks. My Mother In Law is always on a diet. This one sounds good and easy. Thanks for the tip!
Sister Katie
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Please check your source on calcium. One cup of broccoli does not contain as much calcium as one cup of milk. You'll need about 3 cups of broccoli to equal the calcium in one cup of milk.
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Wachusett, I think you just pointed to a reason these might not be doable. I was intending this just to be tips I bump into without taking a lot of time and especially without comparing sources and getting deep into the medical literature.
It was in an article advocating a vegan lifestyle, which cited their information as from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In comparing various listings of calcium content, I can't find a consistent listing of what the calcium content of either a glass of milk or broccoli is--and the article they're citing doesn't have the kind of values they were talking about either. The highest I found listed for broccoli was 198 mg, the lowest for a glass of whole milk was 264 mg but it wasn't on the same list so I'm certain they weren't using the same assay techniques. The U.S. government is listing milk as 300 and broccoli as 98--just as you say.
I also suspect now what the vegans were doing was pushing the limits of the research presented in the article into protein to calcium ratios on the assumption that protein does compromise the absorbability of calcium, so that the amount of calcium in milk is discounted by the amount of protein. But then there's this other research about the effect of sulphur compounds (which are in broccoli) into increased urinary loss.
So, it's safe to say that broccoli has calcium. That dairy isn't the only kind of source. And that trusting anything but the original source is hazardous to say the least.
Trish
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Hi Trish,
Nevertheless, it's still a good source of calcium, and it is far lower in calories than dairy products (as long as we don't pile on the cheese sauce and butter!). It can be hard to fit in all the calcium we need from food sources, so broccoli can help us get there. I have noticed calcium is being added to more food products - some white grape juice drinks from Welch''s have calcium added; some breads do. Orange juice has had it for years.
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