Vegetables such as broccoli from the cruciferous family are very beneficial for you and your pet. Broccoli, apart from being packed with vitamins and minerals and a good source of vegetable protein, contains a special plant component called sulforaphane.
Sulforaphane is known to have many healing benefits. It needs the other components also naturally found in cruciferous vegetables to work in conjunction, and in order for sulforaphane to be released effectively from the vegetable so it’s bioavailable to the body.
Broccoli is fundamental to the body’s ability to repair and maintain the thin intestinal lining and the gut’s ability to defend itself against pathogens.
In fact, broccoli is such a precious a resource to the body it’s one of the few keys on the planet that unlocks a group of white blood cells called intraepithelial lymphocytes that defend the gut. (1)
Broccoli acts as a catalyst for a series of events to support the upkeep of the immune system. The awesomeness that is broccoli, is literally one of the keys to unlocking good health!
Apart from being a magic key, broccoli or cruciferous vegetables have the added benefit of being anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal. Cruciferous vegetables are super important to include in both your’s and your pet’s diet.
Benefits of Broccoli
- Blood cleanser
- Lowers the risk of cancer of the esophagus, larynx, lung, prostate, mouth, colon, pharynx, cervix, stomach
- Reduces the risk of tumors
- Helps prevent DNA damage
- Boosts the liver’s ability to clear carcinogens
- Helps activate the body’s defenses against pathogens and pollutants
- Is a preventative for lymphoma
- Help maintain/repair the elasticity in the gut that’s responsible for leaky gut
- Helps protect cognitive function
- Helps protect the eyes against oxidative damage
- Helps manage sugar levels for type 2 diabetes
- Helps suppress cancer cell growth
- Supports a healthy heart
- Supports the immune system
- Helps reduce inflammation
- Helps slow aging
- Can help prevent hair loss and patchiness
- A good source of fibre, broccoli helps reduce constipation
Is Raw Broccoli Safe for Pets?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Buy organically grown to reduce the exposure to pesticides and herbicides.
To benefit from the antioxidant properties of broccoli it is best fed raw. Cooking greatly reduces, virtually deactivates, the all-important plant component sulforaphane that is so important to good immune health.
Side Effects
This is no downside to feeding broccoli to your pet. If eaten in large amounts your pet may experience some gastrointestinal discomfort in the form of bloating and flatulence.
However, the smell from the flatulence is not nearly at the same level of toxicity as those pets on a pure kibble diet. – an added benefit!
If your cat or dog has some abdominal discomfort, simply reduce the amount you’re feeding.
How to Give Broccoli to Cats & Dogs
Ideally fed raw, this is your pet’s best option. If your pet is fussy, start with lightly steamed or sautéed broccoli and pop a tiny bit of coconut oil on top to make it more delicious.
For cats and fussy eaters, it’s a good idea to blend the raw broccoli and mix it into your pet’s food. Don’t forget to use the stalks as well as the florets, the stalks are also highly nutritious.
You can also juice the broccoli and feed some to your pet, or mix it with their food.
Even if your pet is on a strict kibble diet, blend the raw broccoli beforehand and sprinkle it directly onto the food. Or look to feed broccoli as a treat and outside your pet’s normal kibble feeding times, so your dog or cat can truly benefit from the healing properties of this vegetable.
For cat’s a small amount goes a long way. They are obligatory carnivores so cats would normally get access to vegetables from the digested contents of their prey. Hence you don’t need to feed your cat a lot for them to benefit from eating broccoli.
Broccoli Sprout Seeds
Start growing your own broccoli sprouts at home that both you and your pets can eat. They are super easy to grow and can even be grown on your windowsill.
Broccoli sprouts are jam-packed with nutrition. They contain a high amount of sulforaphane and If you’re growing your own broccoli sprouts from seed you can ensure no chemicals are used.
Please ensure you’re getting your sprouting seeds from a reputable dealer who doesn’t use seeds that are GMO, exposed to pesticides, etc. Remember broccoli is the key that supports a good healthy immune system so you don’t want to be eating seeds that are going to send a chemical message or deform the proper function of essential metabolic processes.
