Eating our five a day is important to health, but there's no point in eating them if you're not cooking them correctly, according to new research.
Steaming broccoli retains the most nutrients
Scientists have found that boiling or microwaving broccoli makes it lose its cancer-fighting properties.
So, if you're doing it this way it's safe to say you've been wasting your time.
The researchers, who presented their findings at the American Institute for Cancer Research Annual Research Conference, found the best way to cook the vegetable is to steam it for three to four minutes.
Steaming the vegetable until it turns a bright greet colour can enhance its cancer-fighting compounds.
‘As we’re learning, food processing isn’t just what happens to food before it reach the grocery shelves,’ said American Institute of Cancer Research Associate Director of Nutrition Programmes Alice Bender to the Mail Online.
‘This research highlights that what you do in your kitchen can make those fruits and vegetables on your plate even more cancer protective.’
Broccoli is an excellent source of sulforaphane, a naturally occurring plant compound that has been shown to be protective against cancer.
The enzyme myrosinase in broccoli is needed for sulforaphane to form - so if the myrosinase is destroyed, sulforaphane cannot form.
The researchers found boiling and microwaving broccoli, even for just one minute, destroys most of the myrosinase it contains.
In contrast, they also discovered that steaming it for up to five minutes is the best way to retain the enzyme.
Tagged in Health Nutrition Diet Healthy eating Diet tips