Broccoli Juice
Broccoli Juice Is Very, Very Healthy
If offered a glass of broccoli juice, most people would be tempted to take a pass. Broccoli juice just does not sound all that appetizing, and when it comes to juices, green usually isn't our favorite color. We would happily choose a glass of yellow juice or red juice over green broccoli juice, even though the other two juices may be nowhere near as nutritious.
Broccoli is a member of the Crusiferous family, which includes cabbages, kale, and Brussels sprouts as well. We seldom hear much about cabbage juice drinks and virtually never hear Brussels sprouts juice, or kale juice mentioned, so what is so special about broccoli juice? What is so special, is broccoli is far more nutritious than the other members of the Cruciferous family, in fact as far as vegetables go, it is one of the nutritional superstars.
It Really Is Good To Eat - Unfortunately, broccoli is not among the favorites when if comes to our eating vegetables. Broccoli took somewhat of a hit some years back when then President George H.W. Bush made if known he didn't care for broccoli and since he was President of the United States, he didn't have to eat it. One theory is that when we was young, his mother may have overcooked it. Overcooked broccoli isn't much fun to eat. Steamed broccoli with butter or lemon juice and a touch of salt and pepper is another story, and stir fry broccoli is hard to resist.
Design A Smoothie - So where does that leave broccoli juice? A broccoli juice smoothie isn't really a very good way to start the day. Even if we acquire a taste for it, that green color just isn't always very appetizing. In fact, as far as vegetable juice drinks are concerned, there's a rule of thumb which says that no more than about a third of the contents of the juice should come from leaves or "green" vegetables. If you want to add broccoli juice to your diet, and by all means do so in the interests of healthy living, combine the broccoli with one or more other vegetable. Carrots may come to mind initially. Carrot juice blends very well with the juices of many other vegetables, perhaps most other vegetables, and broccoli is no exceptions. Go a bit heavy on the carrot juice and add just enough broccoli juice to notice the difference. The taste won't really be better or worse, just "different". Celery is another vegetable you can put in the juicer, and several recipes mention adding a few leaves of Romaine lettuce.
There are many people who enjoy a glass of carrot-apple juice, so consider adding a few slices of apple to the juicer as well. With a little experimenting you'll come up with a recipe for broccoli juice that suits your taste very well. You really don't need to try to mask the flavor of the broccoli. It's not that bad. The juice, your "broccoli smoothie" will be a little better tasting though if the broccoli doesn't overpower everything else. A hint of apple or carrot favoring always make juice taste that much better.
Benefits Of Broccoli Juice - Now that you've made your smoothie which includes the juice form a nice stalk of broccoli, what benefits can you expect? The answer is, a great many. Even though broccoli is 90% water, not too much different from many other fruits and vegetables, what remains is truly a powerful little package of nutrients. Besides being rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, your broccoli juice will be rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. It will contain trace amounts of several other important minerals, and a healthy does of Vitamin C. Other vitamins are present as well, though in smaller amounts, and there is a host of different amino acids in the mix.
While not a cancer cure, broccoli does have a well-deserved reputation as a cancer fighter, and the same can be said of course for broccoli juice. When shopping for a stalk or two of broccoli with some juice in mind, look for the broccoli "flowers" (the part we normally eat) that are a bit purple on top. Nothing wrong with the vegetable, it's just that the stalk of broccoli in question has a higher percentage of cartenoids than usual, and that is a good thing. The cartenoids and anti-oxidants found in abundance in broccoli are what give it its reputation as a cancer fighter.
Enjoy your broccoli juice!