Delhi and its surrounding cities woke up to bad air once again. As air pollution levels continue to rise and the harmful air quality has left citizens gasping for air, detoxification, cleanses and natural remedies have become the go-to- hacks to fight the nasty air pollution.
As your lungs choke, depending on pollution-fighting purifiers and masks is an expensive but healthy option. It is important that you stock up the right nutrients in your diet which focus on cleaning up your system, naturally and actively fight the deadly pollutants. Union Minister for Health, Dr. Harshvardhan recently talked of certain remedial measures, such as including antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits in the diet to suppress the effects and make the body better equipped to fight the nasty pollution. One vegetable he did talk about includes broccoli.
How can broccoli help?
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable that includes a lot of good nutrients in it. A true superfood, the green stub contains a lot of fiber, which regulates digestion and actively fights toxins that settle in the cavities. It is also believed that a vegetable like broccoli helps cleanse the digestive system, eliminates waste and the toxins which the body might have absorbed from the air, soil, food or bad food and not to forget, the polluting carcinogens which find an easy way to get in this bad season.
Nutrient-wise, broccoli supplies good antioxidants, Vitamin A, beta-carotene, B complex, folic acid, minerals which help fight inflammation, chronic health risks and also strengthens cell membranes. It also works towards maintaining blood sugar levels, reducing the chances of degenerative diseases, certain types of cancer and optimize your gut health as well.
However, what makes it an effective anti-pollution food is its ability to act down on certain pollutants. It's not the sprouts themselves but the components found in the stub which are good for the body. In fact, a study conducted in China found out that broccoli sprouts were particularly helpful in fighting and detoxing away the air pollutants from the root. When you eat broccoli, the phytochemical present in it, called glucoraphanin initiates a chemical reaction that attaches itself to the harmful benzene compound, breaks it down and recharges the body to excrete it faster, before it gets the time to do the damage on the cellular level. The same mechanism has also been found helpful to get rid of toxins associated with pollution and cigarette smoke. Hence, detoxifying the body by consuming a simple vegetable like fresh broccoli juice or smoothie as soon as you hit home can alleviate some of the health risks at the ground level.
The people in the new study who drank a concentrated tea made with broccoli spouts excreted 61 percent more benzene and 23 percent more acrolein, a lung irritant, as compared with a group who drank a placebo beverage.
There you have it! An easy smog and pollution-fighting drink that costs less than an air purifier!