For creamy soup without the cream, puree cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and onion with salt and white pepper. Add low-fat milk for a creamier texture.VERY LOW
Because it’s big on volume and small on calories, broccoli is a great way to bulk up carb dishes (think pasta, casseroles, and baked potatoes) to lower their GL.
Not only does broccoli have very little impact on your blood sugar, it’s one of the best food sources of chromium, a mineral required for insulin to function normally (remember, insulin helps the body use up blood sugar so there’s less in the bloodstream). One cup of broccoli provides almost half of your daily chromium requirement. Fiber, at a hearty 4 grams per stalk, is also part of broccoli’s “benefits package.”
Broccoli also packs a wallop of vitamin C. One cup contains more than 100 percent of the RDA for this vitamin. If you’re fighting diabetes—or even if you already have it—that’s important. According to a British population study, people with the highest blood levels of vitamin C were less likely to have elevated levels of glycated hemoglobin, a long-term indicator of high blood sugar. The researchers concluded, “Dietary measures to increase plasma vitamin C may be an important public health strategy for reducing the prevalence of diabetes.” Even if vitamin C can’t protect you from diabetes (the jury is still out), it and other antioxidants can certainly lower your risk of diabetes-related complications such as eye and nerve damage.
Broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable, is known for its cancer-fighting compounds. Numerous studies over the past 20 years have found that people who eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables have a significantly lower risk of several cancers, including breast, colon, cervical, lung, prostate, and bladder cancer. Broccoli’s also a good source of calcium, which may help lower high blood pressure, common in people with diabetes.
Don’t overcook broccoli; it will turn pale and mushy and lose some of its nutrients.
For creamy soup without the cream, puree cooked broccoli, cauliflower, and onion with salt and white pepper. Add low-fat milk for a creamier texture.
Add chopped broccoli florets to omelets, vegetable lasagna, and pizza.
Whip up a broccoli salad to tote on your next picnic. Mix broccoli florets, sliced carrots, sliced green olives, diced pimientos, and chopped walnuts and marinate in Italian dressing.
Top steamed broccoli with a spoonful of low-fat sour cream and some slivered almonds for a healthy side dish.
Dip raw broccoli in light ranch or Italian dressing as a snack or an addition to lunch.
Broccoli with Lemon Vinaigrette