Broccoli is a very common vegetable widely used throughout the world. This healthy vegetable is packed with nutrients.
Broccoli is keto friendly as one cup of this green vegetable contains only 3.6 grams of net carbs. This low carb vegetable is an excellent source of high fiber which restricts its net carb at only 4 grams against a serving size of 100 grams.
Highly nutritious broccoli is a great choice for vegan dishes like creamy low carb soups and homemade keto snacks. Moreover, broccoli is among the best meat replacement vegetables.
Is Broccoli Low Carb?
Yes, broccoli is a low carb and keto approved vegetable. Moreover, broccoli is among the most commonly used low-carb vegetables chart.
A 100 gram serving of raw broccoli contains 6.64 grams of carbs. After deduction of 2.6 grams of fiber the net carbs of broccoli comes to 4.04 grams.
So, broccoli is not only low in carbs but low in net carbs also.
Is Cooked Broccoli Keto?
Cooked broccoli increases both carbs and fiber slightly. However, cooked broccoli is keto friendly as it is both low in carbs and net carbs.
A 100 gram serving of cooked broccoli contains 7.18 grams of total carbs and 3.3 grams of dietary fiber. After deduction of dietary fiber, the cooked broccoli net carbs come down to 3.88 grams which is an excellent option for low carb diet plan.
Cooked Broccoli Nutrition Facts 100 g
Cooked broccoli is a great source of healthy nutrients. It is packed with fiber, protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc.
Moreover, this green veggie also contains healthy vitamins like vitamin C, A, K, and folate. With 64.9 mg of vitamin C content cooked broccoli fulfills the daily recommendation of 65 mg.
The nutrition value of cooked broccoli is as follows against 100 g serving (1).
- Calorie: 35
- Protein: 2.38 g
- Fat: 0.41 g
- Carbs: 7.18 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Sugar: 1.39 g
Is Broccoli Good for Keto?
The low carb formula and high fiber component make broccoli good for keto. Low net carb broccoli helps you to maintain your daily carb intake limit.
As broccoli aids in daily carbs intake maintenance, it will not kick you out of ketosis. Moreover, the high nutrient profile of broccoli provides several health benefits.
The 3 major health benefits of broccoli are described below.
Anti cancer benefits of broccoli
Broccoli is a common cruciferous vegetable. Studies have shown that cruciferous vegetables may provide anti cancer benefits (2).
Also, broccoli is a good source of vitamins like vitamin A and C. It also contains niacin and vitamin E. All of these four vitamins are associated with cancer prevention.
A higher intake of broccoli may prevent three major types of cancers i.e skin, ovarian, and breast because of these vitamins. The reasons for cancer prevention are:
- Niacin and vitamin E prevents UV ray damage and protect against skin cancer (3, 4).
- Vitamin A reduces the risk of ovarian cancer (5).
- Vitamin C has benefits over breast cancer (6).
Broccoli has benefits over dieta prediabetes HBA1C & type 2diabetes
Broccoli has a low Glycemic Index(GI) value of 10 which helps to avoid the sudden rise of blood sugars for diabetics.
Studies have shown that low GI foods maintain glycemic control in prediabetes and diabetes patients (7).
Moreover, broccoli is a rich source of dietary fiber. High dietary fiber intake may reduce HBA1C for prediabetics and type 2 diabetics (8).
Also, high consumption of magnesium-rich broccoli may have benefits over insulin resistance. As magnesium intake and insulin resistance have an inverse relation (9).
Broccoli may prevent high blood pressure on keto
Useful components like magnesium and the fiber of broccoli may aid in high blood pressure control on keto.
The benefits of a high dietary intake of magnesium and fiber are proved in studies. According to research both magnesium and fiber intake can reduce blood pressure (10, 11).
Furthermore, broccoli is low in carbs, which is another added advantage over blood pressure control. Low carb diets promote the quick reduction of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (12).
Broccoli Nutrition Facts
Broccoli is a highly nutritious keto friendly vegetable. It contains the majority of healthy vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Moreover, this keto approved vegetable is low calorie also which helps to maintain the daily calorie limit.
Let’s check the nutrition facts of raw broccoli against a serving size of 100 grams (13)
- Calorie: 34
- Protein: 2.82 g
- Fat: 0.37 g
- Carbohydrate: 6.64 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Calcium: 47 mg
- Iron: 0.73 mg
- Magnesium: 21 mg
- Phosphorus: 66 mg
- Potassium: 316 mg
- Sodium: 33 mg
- Zinc: 0.41 mg
- Copper: 0.04 mg
- Vitamin C: 89.2 mg
- Thiamin: 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin: 0.11 mg
- Niacin: 0.63 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.17 mg
- Folate: 63 µg
- Choline: 18.7 mg
- Vitamin A: 31 µg
- Vitamin E: 0.78 mg
- Vitamin K: 102 µg
How to Eat Broccoli
Cooked broccoli is mainly used in keto dishes. However, you can eat raw broccoli also. There is not very much nutrition difference between these two, so you can choose wisely.
Some famous broccoli dishes are:
- Broccoli fried rice
- Low carb broccoli cucumber carrot salad
- Keto broccoli salad dressing
- Cooked broccoli with garlic sauce
- Roasted broccoli with keto black pepper
All of these low carb dishes are full of nutrients. You will get a lot of health benefits from these broccoli keto friendly dishes.
Final Thoughts
Broccoli is one of the most common among low carb chart for vegetables. This organic food contains a little number of net carbs which is perfect for maintaining ketosis.
Moreover, this keto veggie is packed with nutrients and has multiple health benefits. Three widely admired benefits of this cruciferous vegetable are cancer prevention, blood pressure control, and anti-diabetic activity.
Also, you can add this healthy and common vegetable to your favorite side dishes like salad, soup, rice, fruit mix, etc.
