Broccoli is a branched, green vegetable with either purple or more commonly green flower buds. It belongs to the cruciferous family, with cauliflower, cabbage and kale, and it can be eaten either raw or cooked.

Broccoli has numerous rich health values, it is a good source of fibre and protein and contains iron, potassium, calcium, selenium and magnesium and vitamins A, C, E, and K and contains B vitamins including folic acid.

Dieudonne Bukaba, a nutritionist in Kigali, says that broccoli contains sulforaphane, a plant compound found in cruciferous vegetables that may have strong anticancer properties.

He says, broccoli contains properties that diminish oestrogens which usually cause cancer in the body.

Research shows that broccoli is extremely suitable for preventing breast and uterus cancer. Some studies suggest that steaming broccoli for three to four minutes until it turns a bright green will boost its cancer-fighting compounds.

Bukaba adds that broccoli contains high levels of both calcium and vitamin K, which are vital for bone health and prevention of osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become weak and brittle).

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a cup of broccoli weighing around 76 grams (g) contains 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent of a person’s daily need for calcium, 45 to 54 per cent of their daily need for vitamin C, and 64 to 86 per cent of their daily need for vitamin K, depending on their age and sex.

"Broccoli also contains flavonoids that help recover the vitamin C efficiently. It is also a good carb and is high in fibre, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, and maintains low blood sugar,” Bukaba says.

Broccoli has lutein and zeaxanthin, the most important nutrients that your eyes can have because of the ability to prevent oxidation of the retina and age-related degeneration. It also has an antioxidant that is found in broccoli (sulforaphane) that may prevent blindness. This antioxidant helps filter out the ultraviolet lights that can cause extreme damage to the retina, he says.

Bukaba adds that the over-exposure to the sun and loss of moisture to diet and lifestyle habits, such as smoking, can contribute to the skin’s ageing process, but broccoli can rescue and help fight free radicals.

He says that broccoli is full of many vitamins and minerals important for skin health, such as zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains lutein, a carotenoid that works like beta carotene. Lutein helps protect your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause your skin to be dry and wrinkled.

Bukaba says that broccoli can boost heart health since it contains fibre, fatty acids, and vitamins that help to regulate blood pressure in the body. This also helps in reducing bad cholesterol, hence leading to a healthy heart. Broccoli can also protect blood vessels from damage.

Researchers found that eating more cruciferous vegetables, for example, broccoli, was associated with a lower risk of having extensive abdominal aortic calcification, after adjustment for risk factors. According to the study, women who ate more than 45 grams of cruciferous vegetables daily, for instance, half a cup of steamed broccoli had 46 per cent  less chance of having extensive calcium build-up in their aortic blood vessel compared to women who ate no or very few cruciferous vegetables daily.

Bukaba explains that broccoli can reduce inflammation. Inflammation can be a sign of a passing infection, but it can also occur with chronic autoimmune conditions such as arthritis and type 1 diabetes. People with metabolic syndrome may also have high levels of inflammation.

In a 2014 study, scientists found that the antioxidant effect of sulforaphane in broccoli helped reduce inflammation markers in laboratory tests. They, therefore, concluded that the nutrients in broccoli could help fight inflammation.