How to Prepare Broccoli and Increase Nutrients

There is a way to prepare broccoli and increase nutrients in order to maximize the health benefits to your body. Yes, raw vegetables are nutritious and good for you, loaded with lots of vitamins and minerals. Broccoli is already high in vitamin C, lutein, beta-carotene, and flavonols - known to be cancer fighting nutrients. But you can get even more nutrients, keep the healthy benefits of veggies, and even make them taste better by preparing them a certain way. Next time you serve broccoli, try preparing it this way. Follow these steps to prepare delicious broccoli and release even more of those good nutrients:

1) Buy whole broccoli heads from your supermarket. If florets are opened, enlarged, yellowish-green or wilted, the broccoli isn't fresh.

Buy broccoli just a day or so before you need it. Store it in an open plastic bag in the fridge. The vitamins and nutrients diminish with time so try to prepare it in 3 days or less.

2) Wash the broccoli in cool running water just before preparing it. Trim off any leaves attached to the main stalk.

3) Cut the head into quarters. If you are going to use the stalk, peel off the outer layer by using a knife or vegetable peeler.

4) Trim off the broccoli by cutting each floret off the head, leaving a little stalk on each cluster. If the individual florets are too large, slice them in half lengthwise to make smaller pieces.

5) Place steamer basket in large saucepan; add about 1 inch of water. Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the steamer basket. Place broccoli pieces in the steamer and cover.

6) Bring steamer and broccoli to a boil over high heat. Steam 5 to 6 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Make sure to keep adding water to the saucepan if needed. Don't let the pan go dry.

7) Serve. Steam is very hot and will burn you, so use a pair of tongs to carefully remove the broccoli pieces from the steamer to a serving dish.

Serve hot.