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How to make broccoli soup that doesn’t suck

Categories: Recipes

Broccoli Soup

You’re on a cutting diet. You’re frequently hungry, but you have no more precious calories to spare. You could also do with some extra nutrients in your diet. This is where bodybuilders often resort to broccoli due to its incredible nutrient density and high satiety index. But eating dry broccoli sucks. It’s not hardcore. It just sucks. Fortunately, with a little extra effort you can turn broccoli into broccoli soup, which doesn’t taste like broccoli at all. I dislike soup and I dislike broccoli, but I like this broccoli soup. Here’s how to make broccoli soup that doesn’t suck.

 

Ratings

Taste                         ••• 3/5
Ease of Preparation •••• 4/5
Health  ••••• 5/5
Budget                   •••• 4/5

 

Ingredients & Macros

Broccoli Soup nutrients

Note that the definition of ‘medium’ broccoli bunch may vary at your supermarket. A bunch should be a plant or handball sized ball of broccoli. 3 of them should weigh about 5.2 lb (2.4 kg). Yes, that’s a lot of broccoli, which is why this makes 5 portions that could substitute for a meal if you add some protein with a complete amino acid profile.

 

Key Health Benefits

Do I really have to tell you broccoli is one of the healthiest foods on the planet? Actually, I probably do, because it’s likely even healthier than you think. Here’s what you get when you consume 1 large portion of this soup without even taking into account the onion and the curry, both of which are extremely healthy as well.

Broccoli nutrition

Bonus:

  • Free Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and therefore 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM) supplementation.
  • Free glucoraphanin supplementation, which converts into sulforaphane, which may be anabolic. Human stem cell research shows it induces hyperplasia and in pigs it functions like a myostatin inhibitor [1, 2]. Perhaps this is why broccoli is the favorite vegetable of many bodybuilders.
  • Nearly a gram of omega-3 fat. Yes, there’s omega-3 in broccoli too.

 

Directions

1. Put a soup pot on high heat. Pour 6 cups (1,4  liter) of water in it. Throw in the chicken bouillon cubes. Bring the bouillon to a boil.

2. Chop the entire broccoli bunch and all the onions into big chunks or throw them into a food processor. Throw the chunks and the curry powder in the pan with the chicken bouillon.

 

Broccoli Soup Instructions

 

3. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. The broccoli should now be soft enough to skewer easily with a fork.

4. Take the pot off the heat.

5. Puree the broccoli and onions with a (stick) blender until it looks like soup. Add water if you think the soup’s too thick. Personally, I hate watery soup.

6. Serve the soup or store it in the fridge or freezer.

 

Healthy Broccoli Soup

 

 References

1. Dose-dependent effects of R-sulforaphane isothiocyanate on the biology of human mesenchymal stem cells, at dietary amounts, it promotes cell proliferation and reduces senescence and apoptosis, while at anti-cancer drug doses, it has a cytotoxic effect. Zanichelli F, Capasso S, Cipollaro M, Pagnotta E, Cartenì M, Casale F, Iori R, Galderisi U. Age (Dordr). 2012 Apr;34(2):281-93.

2. Sulforaphane causes a major epigenetic repression of myostatin in porcine satellite cells. Fan H, Zhang R, Tesfaye D, Tholen E, Looft C, Hölker M, Schellander K, Cinar MU. Epigenetics. 2012 Dec 1;7(12):1379-90.


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About the author

Menno Henselmans

Formerly a business consultant, I've traded my company car to follow my passion in strength training. I'm now an online physique coach, scientist and international public speaker with the mission to help serious trainees master their physique.

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