If you’re looking for a way to promote daily detox, then look no further than broccoli sprouts. They’ve been touted as a cure-all for everything from cancer to heart disease to diabetes. If you’re wondering if they live up to all the hype, then you’ve come to the right place.
If you’re at all familiar with my site, you may already know I’m a huge broccoli sprouts fan. Ever since my recovery from mold toxicity, I made it a priority to incorporate daily detox into my life. And broccoli sprouts have been a VIP in my detox toolkit for a while.
In this article we’ll dive into how broccoli sprouts get their detox superpowers and see if they might be a good fit for your health journey.
Why Are Broccoli Sprouts So Good for You?
Broccoli sprout’s magic comes from a sulfur-rich compound called sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is found in all cruciferous veggies including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, arugula, collards, brussels sprouts, watercress, bok choy, and radishes.
Broccoli vs. Broccoli Sprouts -- Which is Better?
I know what you’re thinking -- “I already eat a ton of broccoli...isn’t that good enough?” And yes, broccoli is packed with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, along with a hearty dose of fiber.
But here’s where broccoli sprouts have the edge -- according to a study out of John Hopkins University, broccoli sprouts contain up to 100 times the sulforaphane as regular ol’ broccoli! (1)
You’d have to make broccoli chewing a part-time job just to get the sulforaphane benefits of a daily ½ cup serving of broccoli sprouts.
Sulforaphane - How to Unleash the Magic
As I said earlier, sulforaphane is the compound that gives broccoli its superpowers. But that magic has to be unlocked.
Glucoraphanin, an inactive compound in the glucosinolate family, is the precursor to sulforaphane. For it to be activated, it has to come in contact with the enzyme myrosinase. (2)
Myrosinase is only released when the plant is damaged -- either by heat, chewing, cutting, or chopping. Yet another reason to chew your food properly!
The combo of glucoraphanin and myrosinase is what results in the compound sulforaphane, which as you’ll see below, has an impressive list of benefits.
Benefits of Broccoli Sprouts
I dove into this in detail in a previous post, but let’s do a quick recap. Numerous studies have uncovered a variety of health benefits associated with sulforaphane, including these amazing liver and immune benefits:
Contains anti-inflammatory properties
Includes high antioxidants
Normalizes bowel habits (7)
Protects from viruses (8)
But that’s just the start! Sulforaphane is associated with these health benefits as well:
Helps with cancer prevention (9)
Helps treat stomach ulcers
Shows potential as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (10)
Improves symptoms of depression (13)
Reduces symptoms of autism (14)
Helps manage type 2 diabetes (15)
How Broccoli Sprouts Support Daily Detox
As you can see, sulforaphane has an impressive resume. But let’s zero in on why it’s so powerful for daily detox.
Sulforaphane is a potent antioxidant: This can be especially helpful for Phase I detox.
Phase I involves attaching oxygen to fat soluble toxins to transform them into more water-soluble forms. This process, while important, does produce free radicals. Adding in plenty of antioxidant protection with foods like broccoli sprouts can keep this process in check. (16)
Supports Phase II Detox: Numerous studies have found sulforaphane to increase Phase II detoxification enzymes and glutathione synthesis. (3, 4, 5, 6)
One study in particular published in Cancer Prevention Research, really put these detox powers on display. The study found that consuming a broccoli sprouts drink led to high excretion rates of two harmful chemicals: benzene and acrolein.
Benzene, a highly toxic carcinogen, can come from car exhaust, gas fumes, and industrial pollution. Acrolein, a commonly used herbicide, is also a byproduct of cigarette smoke and car exhaust.
After 12 weeks, subjects that were given the broccoli sprouts drink increased their benzene excretion by 61% and acrolein excretion by 23%! (17)
Normalizes bowel habits: All the liver love in the world won’t do you any good if you aren’t eliminating well. Oxidative stress can lead to constipation, which is no bueno if you’re detoxing. Luckily, sulforaphane has been shown to keep your bowels moving, so those toxins have a way out! (7, 18)
Why It’s Important to Detox Daily
We’re exposed to toxins every day in our water, air, food, household products, personal care products... even our furniture!
Even if you live a clean lifestyle, exposure happens. In fact, the EPA’s chemical inventory lists 84,000 potential toxins you could encounter on any given day. (19) And according to the Environmental Working group, the average woman puts 168 chemicals on her body every day! (20)
But while we can’t live in a bubble, we can make lifestyle choices that support daily detoxification so these chemicals have a way out. Here are a few of my favorites:
Dry brushing: What moves your lymph, improves cellulite, clears away dead skin cells and supports daily detox? Dry brushing! Best of all, it only takes a couple minutes.
Sauna: When in doubt, sweat it out! Sauna was my saving grace through recovery from mold toxicity and remains one of my favorite detox methods.
ACV detox drink: Did you know that apple cider vinegar has a bacteria that can break down the dreaded glyphosate? Yes way. I love to get my ACV fix with a daily detox drink. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the recipe!
Rebounding: Jumping on a mini-trampoline is an effective and fun way to boost your lymphatic system.
Get testing: Any time you’re starting a detox protocol, it’s good to have a baseline measure. Our EnviroTOX kit tests for 173 different environmental pollutants, including glyphosate.
Broccoli sprouts: A daily dose of sulforaphane action will keep your body’s detox game strong.
How to Get Your Daily Broccoli Sprouts Fix
Ready to harness broccoli sprouts’ superpowers? Here are two options for getting your daily dose of sulforaphane:
1. The DIY Way: Grow Your Own Broccoli Sprouts
Growing your own broccoli sprouts is simple. All you need is some broccoli seeds, mason jars, sprouting lids, and a little know-how. For a step by step walk through the process check out this post.
But if adding another chore to your wellness routine makes you cringe, you can go the easy route…
2. The Easy Way - Broccoli Sprout and Seed
Our Broccoli Sprout and Seed is an easy way to get all the sulforaphane benefits, minus the headache of keeping up with homegrown sprouts.
This powerful combo of broccoli sprouts concentrate and broccoli seed extract gives you a double dose of sulforaphane in each capsule. Myrosinase is included to unlock maximum sulforaphane absorption.
This is a potent delayed-released formula, so you get non-stop liver support all day long from just one capsule. That means each bottle will last you three whole months.
Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP, is trained in functional health coaching and has worked with thousands of women over her career since 2004. She is the founder of Women’s Wellness Collaborative llc and HormoneDetoxShop.com.
This recipe is so easy it’s barely a recipe! It’s basically traditional tuna salad but with canned salmon instead. Tuna is delicious but unfortunately it’s now a fish that is commonly contaminated with heavy metals. But there is a really easy solution to your tuna salad dilemma and that is simply replacing it with canned salmon!