The Incredible Detoxifying and Cancer Fighting Properties of Broccoli Sprouts
Want to level up your pet's nutrition? Nature designed a potent detoxifier and cancer-preventing superfood.
Broccoli sprouts are a rich source of essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Additionally, they are low in calories, high in fiber, and packed with antioxidants and the cancer-fighting compound called sulforaphane that protects the body against harmful free radicals and helps the body eliminate carcinogens.
Can't I just feed broccoli?
You could just feed broccoli, but studies show that broccoli sprouts contain 20-50 times the amount of glucoraphanin than mature broccoli (1). Why is this important? Well, for one thing, you might not love broccoli or the gas that sometimes comes with eating a lot of it. You might not enjoy the flavor of raw broccoli in your salad whereas you might like the sprouts and they also pack more of a punch. My cats will not eat broccoli. No way. No how. But I can sneak broccoli sprouts into their recipe and blend them in. Same thing for the dogs, especially my 14-year-old who is getting her meals garnished with broccoli sprouts:). Sulforaphane is also found in other cruciferous vegetables such as kale and cauliflower.
Research shows broccoli sprouts can help protect against cancer and reduce free radical damage
Whenever I hear people talk about detoxification I want to know HOW. What do you mean by this? Well, several studies exhibit that the compounds in broccoli sprouts increase the excretion of carcinogens.
Broccoli sprouts are a concentrated form of antioxidants and cancer-fighting compounds compared to mature broccoli. Research has shown a solid protective effect against cancer and also a detoxifying effect that is actually measurable(2). When scientists studied the effect of air pollution on the body they found that people consuming broccoli sprouts increased their elimination of a toxic pollutant by 61%. Now that’s detoxification!
Broccoli sprouts also have a protective effect on the liver and assist in the process of detoxification by the liver (3).
What is sulforaphane and how can you incorporate it into your pet's diet?
Sulforaphane is just one of the few cancer-fighting plant compounds that has been extensively studied and found to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, and oral cancers (4). A study with Scottish Terriers showed that cruciferous vegetables in their diet reduced the incidence of Transitional Cell Carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer (5).
Ways to incorporate broccoli sprouts into your diet
- Add them to smoothies
- Top your salad with them
- Add to a sandwich instead of lettuce
Ways to incorporate them into your pet's diet
- Mix a small amount with their food to make sure they will accept them and gradually increase the amount added.
- Here's how I add them to a cat food recipe. Download a free cookbook at www.holisticvetblend.com
Holistic Vet Blend Beef and Broccoli Sprouts for cats
- 1 pound 85% ground beef (or other ground meat)
- 2 eggs
- 2 TBSP coconut oil
- 1/2-ounce broccoli sprouts
- 1 cup water or low salt bone broth
- 2 TBSP Holistic Vet Blend Feline or Feline Senior Blend make sure you put R mark next to Holistic Vet Blend
- 1/2 TSP Holistic Vet Blend registered mark always! Fish oil
Preparation:
- Sauté the beef in coconut oil. Towards the end of the sauté when the meat is still just a little pink (6-8 minutes), add the egg and sauté until the meat is done and the egg is cooked (additional 2-3 minutes). Cats should not eat raw eggs as avidin in raw eggs (destroyed by cooking) binds biotin and can cause a deficiency.
- Add water or broth (if it's chilled it will cool the recipe rapidly) broccoli sprouts, fish oil (source of essential Omega-3 fatty acids), and Holistic Vet Blend Feline or Feline Senior Blend.
- Mix the recipe well with a hand held blender or food processor.
- Freeze what you do not use in 4 days.
Yield: 3 cups, 476 calories/cup
Holistic Vet Blend Limited formula beef and broccoli with sprouts for dogs
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds 85% ground beef (preferably grass fed)
- 2 TBSP coconut oil
- 1 pound carrots diced into bite sized pieces
- 4 ounces broccoli
- 5 cups brown rice cooked
- 1 ounce broccoli sprouts
- 2 TBSP Holistic Vet Blend Limited Blend nutrient premix
- 2 TSP Holistic Vet Blend Icelandic Omega-3 fish oil
Preparation:
- Saute' the beef in coconut oil until done (6-8 minutes)
- Steam the broccoli and carrots until done (8-10 minutes)
- Follow package instructions and cook the brown rice to yield 5 cups when done.
- Combine the meat, vegetables, and brown rice and cool.
- Add the premix, fish oil, and broccoli sprouts. Mix well
- Freeze what you do not use in 4 days.
Yield: 15 cups, 330 calories per cup
Broccoli sprouts are so beneficial for health. Research has shown that consuming these nutrient-rich vegetables can lead to a detoxifying effect on the body as well as protection from free radical damage. I know for me I’ll be adding them to my salads and smoothies. Why not try a recipe with broccoli sprouts today?
(1)Yagishita Y, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Kensler TW. Broccoli or Sulforaphane: Is It the Source or Dose That Matters? Molecules. 2019 Oct 6;24(19):3593. doi: 10.3390/molecules24193593. PMID: 31590459; PMCID: PMC6804255.
(2)Chen JG, Johnson J, Egner P, Ng D, Zhu J, Wang JB, Xue XF, Sun Y, Zhang YH, Lu LL, Chen YS, Wu Y, Zhu YR, Carmella S, Hecht S, Jacobson L, Muñoz A, Kensler K, Rule A, Fahey J, Kensler T, Groopman J. Dose-dependent detoxication of the airborne pollutant benzene in a randomized trial of broccoli sprout beverage in Qidong, China. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Sep 1;110(3):675-684. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz122. PMID: 31268126; PMCID: PMC6736426.
(3)Yoshida K, Ushida Y, Ishijima T, Suganuma H, Inakuma T, Yajima N, Abe K, Nakai Y. Broccoli sprout extract induces detoxification-related gene expression and attenuates acute liver injury. World J Gastroenterol. 2015 Sep 21;21(35):10091-103. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i35.10091. PMID: 26401074; PMCID: PMC4572790.
(4)Nandini DB, Rao RS, Deepak BS, Reddy PB. Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020 May-Aug;24(2):405. doi: 10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19. Epub 2020 Sep 9. PMID: 33456268; PMCID: PMC7802872.
(5)Le TN, Chiu CH, Hsieh PC. Bioactive Compounds and Bioactivities of Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica Sprouts and Microgreens: An Updated Overview from a Nutraceutical Perspective. Plants (Basel). 2020 Jul 27;9(8):946. doi: 10.3390/plants9080946. PMID: 32727144; PMCID: PMC7465980.
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