Popular cooking methods may destroy key health benefits of broccoli, experts warn

Not all methods of cooking broccoli are created equal, and some simple tips can ensure you get the most nutrients out of it.

Whether it's steamed, roasted or added to a stir-fry, broccoli is a healthy option packed with vitamins such as A, C and K, minerals such as calcium, potassium and iron, fiber and even a potentially cancer-fighting compound, the Washington Post recently reported.

But certain ways of cooking broccoli can ensure you get the most out of the cruciferous vegetable and preserve those compounds.

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Boiling broccoli can cause water-soluble nutrients and compounds to leach into the cooking water, while prolonged or high-heat cooking, including roasting, can reduce antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.

Cruciferous vegetables provide fiber, vitamins and plant compounds being studied for potential health benefits. (iStock)

"Boiling causes the most loss in nutrients," Sol Figueroa, a Florida-based registered dietitian nutritionist with Mochi Health, told Fox News Digital. "Vitamin C and glucoraphanin dissolve in water, so a lot of them end up in the cooking water that gets poured down the drain."

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Glucoraphanin is a natural compound found in cruciferous vegetables and, when it is digested, it can be converted into sulforaphane, a compound studied for potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and possible benefits for liver, metabolic and gut health, as well as cancer prevention.

Figueroa offered several tips to help get the most out of your broccoli. One way to preserve some of the nutrients is to use as little water as possible when boiling, she said.

Chopping broccoli and letting it rest before cooking may give sulforaphane, a plant compound studied for potential health benefits, time to form. (iStock)

Another is to sprinkle mustard powder on cooked broccoli. Mustard seeds contain myrosinase, an enzyme that helps convert glucoraphanin to sulforaphane and that can be lost during cooking.

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Some simple prep also may help preserve sulforaphane, according to Figueroa.

"We can't say broccoli prevents disease, but the findings are promising."

"Chopping the broccoli and letting it sit for about 30 to 40 minutes before cooking gives sulforaphane time to form first," she said.

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Most of the research related to broccoli's health claims has been conducted in labs and animals, Figueroa added. 

"We can't say broccoli prevents disease, but the findings are promising," she said.

Broccoli stalks are edible and can be trimmed, sliced and cooked alongside the florets. (iStock)

Steaming is one of the best ways to preserve broccoli's enzymes, and while the method often reduces vitamin C in other foods, research shows broccoli might be an exception, the Washington Post reported. 

Quickly microwaving broccoli may help preserve nutrients, according to the outlet, and using broccoli's cooking water in soup or stew can help retain some water-soluble vitamins.

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Felice Kaufman, a Florida-based food blogger at Cooking in the Keys and former New York Whole Foods Market chef, said she usually steams broccoli, cutting the florets into similar sizes and checking for doneness after about three minutes.

Steaming broccoli briefly may help preserve nutrients and compounds that can be reduced by prolonged cooking. (iStock)

"Taste a piece. If you'd eat it right then, take it out of the pot," Kaufman told Fox News Digital. "The heat keeps cooking the broccoli after it comes out of the pot."

Kaufman also recommends using the stalk, which she trims, slices and cooks with the florets. 

"The stalk is the best part," she said.

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She prefers steaming to boiling, in part to preserve vitamin C, but said that's not always possible.

"If the sink is full — it happens — I'll throw the broccoli straight into the boiling water," she said. "One less thing to wash."

Experts say the most important thing is to eat broccoli, whether it's steamed, roasted or prepared another way. (iStock)

No matter how it's served, getting some broccoli into your diet is key, experts agree.

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"The most important thing is eating broccoli at all," Figueroa said. 

If roasting is the way your family likes it best, do that, she added.

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Kaufman echoed that advice, saying, "Five ounces of broccoli, organic, conventional or frozen, is better than any processed food you can eat."

Deirdre Bardolf is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital.