Broccoli
Broccoli is a powerhouse when it comes to nutrition, packing in tons of Vitamin C and flavonoids. These nutrients do wonders for your body, especially when it comes to promoting collagen production. Collagen helps cushion your joints and ease arthritis pain. And since Vitamin C is key for collagen production, it’s no surprise that eating broccoli can also help keep your skin looking youthful and firm.
As a cruciferous vegetable, broccoli also contains sulforaphane, a compound that boosts antioxidants, fights off free radical damage, and even activates immune cells. Free radicals, which are those pesky molecules that damage our cells, are one of the reasons we age. They not only affect our skin, but they also weaken our immune system, making us more vulnerable to diseases like cancer. The good news is that regular broccoli consumption can reactivate antioxidant enzymes in your immune cells, helping to protect against cancer, slow down aging, and keep your skin looking healthy.
In fact, a study on breast cancer survivors found that women who ate cruciferous veggies like broccoli had a 62% lower risk of dying from cancer. Broccoli also contains nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a compound that our bodies naturally produce, but it decreases as we age. Low NMN levels can lead to things like inflammation, cognitive decline, and mitochondrial damage—basically, our cells start to wear out. Luckily, eating broccoli can help reverse this process!
One study even showed that elderly mice given NMN-enriched water had better immune function and healthier liver and eye function. NMN is also helpful for managing diabetes and obesity—those mice had lower body fat and improved insulin sensitivity. While NMN supplements can be pricey, broccoli is a budget-friendly option that offers similar benefits. So, if you want to boost your health, look younger, and live longer, adding a little broccoli to your diet might just be one of the best decisions you make.
