Can you eat broccoli leaves?

You can eat broccoli leaves. Not only are broccoli leaves edible, but also they have a higher nutritional value than broccoli florets. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, antioxidants, fiber, and protein!

Are broccoli leaves edible?

Broccoli leaves are edible. Actually, you can eat all parts of the broccoli plant. Broccoli crown, stem and leaves are all edible.[1]

The only poisonous part of broccoli is the mature seeds. You shouldn’t eat broccoli when the flowers have matured. Seeds in flowers can be toxic. Actually, we eat the immature flowers of broccoli.

Moreover, we can eat all leaves of broccoli. The small broccoli leaves close to the broccoli head are more tender, though. Furthermore, if you grow broccoli of your own, you can eat the large leaves that surround the head of broccoli.

Eat broccoli leaves as they have a great nutritional value!

Broccoli leaves are very nutrient-dense. 100g of broccoli leaves have:[2]

  • only 28 calories
  • almost 3 grams of protein
  • 2.3 grams of fiber
  • 48 mg of calcium
  • 0.9 mg of iron
  • 66 mg of phosphorus
  • 0.4 mg of zinc
  • 93 mg of vitamin C
  • 16,000 IU of vitamin A

Moreover, broccoli leaves are rich in antioxidants!

Eat broccoli leaves to boost your daily vitamin A, C, D & E intake

Most noteworthy, broccoli leaves are pretty rich in vitamin C. They contain the recommended daily intake per serving! All parts of broccoli are excellent dietary sources of vitamin C, though.

Furthermore, broccoli leaves are particularly rich in vitamin A. They contain 16,000 IU of vitamin A per 100g. Vitamin A has been linked to good eyesight.

Moreover, broccoli leaves are among the best dietary sources of vitamin K. They have 3 times more vitamin K than broccoli florets![3]

Additionally, broccoli leaves are particularly rich in vitamin E. Broccoli leaves provide about 20% of the Daily Value per 100g. On the other hand, florets and stems contain negligible amounts of vitamin E.

Broccoli leaves are high in chlorophyll

Also, broccoli leaves are particularly high in chlorophyll. They contain about 525 mg per 100g (dry weight). They contain 5 times more chlorophyll than broccoli florets!

Consuming foods rich in chlorophyll is good for weight loss, as chlorophyll controls hunger, improves glucose tolerance, and fights inflammation.

Eat broccoli leaves to get protein & fiber

Additionally, broccoli leaves are particularly rich in protein. They contain almost 3 grams of protein per 100g. Broccoli leaves have slightly more protein than broccoli florets.

Furthermore, eating broccoli leaves boosts your daily fiber intake. They have about 2.8 grams of fiber per 100g. This dose is about 10% of the DV. Fiber reduces hunger. Hence, broccoli is good for weight loss.

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