If there’s one food your mother probably had to cajole you to eat when you were a child it was broccoli. Broccoli isn’t usually high on the list of kid’s favorite foods. Some adults aren’t fans of this vegetable so renowned for its health benefits either. Fortunately, you can get the health benefits of broccoli without being forced to eat those crunchy green Broccoli florets. Here are some ways to add more broccoli to your diet even if you’re not a broccoli fan.

Broccoli Powder

At some health food stores and online sites such as Health Village, you can buy containers of dried, broccoli powder. This convenient powder can be easily added to salads, soups, salad dressings, and even smoothies to get the health benefits of broccoli without eating the whole vegetable. It’s a quick, clean, and easy way to get the anti-cancer benefits of the sulforaphanes found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli. Plus, broccoli powder has a long shelf life so you won’t end up with produce that goes bad.

Broccoli Sprouts

The benefits of young broccoli sprouts were discovered by a group of scientists at Johns Hopkins who now market them under the name of Broccosprouts. These scientists were the first to note that immature broccoli sprouts are unusually high in sulforaphane glucosinolate or SGS, a compound that helps to offset free radical damage that can lead to cancer. By eating the immature sprouts rather than the mature broccoli florets you get much higher levels of these protective chemicals. Broccosprouts can be found in some grocery stores and natural food markets nationwide or ordered online. Simply add them to salads and sandwiches to reap the many health benefits that broccoli has to offer.

Brassica Tea

Yes, you can actually get the healthy components of broccoli by drinking a glass of tea. The same scientists at Johns Hopkins who discovered the health benefits of broccoli sprouts helped to develop Brassica tea. To make this unique tea, they isolated the SGS component from broccoli and added it to a variety of teas including white, green, and black varieties. The result? You get your sulforaphanes while enjoying a cup of delicious tea. What could be better? If you can’t find this tea locally, it can be ordered online.
Broccoli Extract

A final way to add more broccoli to your diet without eating the vegetable is to buy broccoli extract in capsule form. This supplement is available at various online sites such as allnutri.com. Although this is the simplest way to get the benefits of broccoli, keep in mind that there’s no guarantee that supplements contain the components they advertise since they aren’t regulated. Be sure to buy from a reputable company.

Isn’t it reassuring to know you can get the health benefits of broccoli without ever putting another sprig of broccoli on your plate?