"Super Veggie" Shreds Fat

By Natalie Moore Posted May 5, 2017

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

Love it or hate it — there’s no denying broccoli is good for you.

With its high fiber and vitamin content, this wonder veggie can help your body fight inflammation and neutralize free radicals — two of the villains behind cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

But it turns out there’s one more reason why you should be eating more broccoli — your gut.

You see, researchers from the University of Illinois have recently discovered this simple plant can help balance your gut bacteria.

And believe it or not — it can even help you lose weight.

Your gut microbiota is made up of many different types of bugs. In this study, the scientists focused on two specific kinds — Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes.

Many studies have shown that a higher ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes can help reduce your risk of obesity.

And the researchers thought that broccoli might just be the key to making this shift happen.

For the experiment, 18 healthy adult participants were split into two groups. One group ate a diet that included 200 g of cooked broccoli, and the control group ate a diet without broccoli.

At the beginning and end of the trial, the participants’ Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes levels were measured.

And after just 17 days, the results were incredible…

The broccoli increased the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes by a whopping 37 percent!

That was after just 17 days. Imagine what broccoli could do for your health (and maybe your waistline) in a month or even a year.

And the best part — eating 200 g of broccoli a day couldn’t be easier. It’s just a one-cup serving.

You can get broccoli at your local grocer. The study doesn’t indicate whether fresh or frozen was used, but either should get the job done.

If broccoli isn’t your thing, give beans a try. They’ve also been shown to help boost your Bacteroidetes.

Live well,

Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily

Citations

^[1] New-found link between microbiota and obesity

^[2] Broccoli Consumption Impacts the Human Gastrointestinal Microbiota

^[3] Diet, gut microbiota and immune responses

Written By Natalie Moore

Natalie Moore is a dedicated health researcher with a passion for finding healthy, natural, and science-based solutions. After a decade of direct healthcare experience in western and natural medicine, she was involved in public health research before joining Living Well Daily.

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