WHEN IT COMES TO VEGGIES, broccoli is the top choice of most bodybuilders. The cruciferous vegetable perhaps deserves top billing simply because one hearty stalk (about 1,5 cups chopped) helps the body stockpile an enormous amount of vitamins and minerals that are important not only for muscle recovery, but for maximizing metabolic functions. There's more — here are five reasons why every serious weightlifter should consume broccoli.

#1 IT CONTAINS CHROMIUM.
Broccoli has about 30 micrograms of chromium per 1,5 cups (chopped). Chromium is an essential trace mineral that the body needs to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and proteins; it also helps control blood-sugar levels by enhancing insulin's effects at the cellular level in muscles. This means muscles can absorb more glucose and creatine (which both rely on insulin for uptake by muscle cells). It also means that this anabolic hormone can better stimulate muscle growth. About an hour after a postworkout protein shake, eat a whole-food protein and carb meal that includes broccoli to enhance muscle glycogen loading, creatine uptake and muscle growth.

#2 IT BUILDS MUSCLE AND FIGHTS FAT.
In a scientific review examining the nutraceutical compounds in broccoli (Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, May 17, 2006), researchers noted that broccoli is a good source of calcium — about 65 milligrams (mg) per 1,5 cups.
In the pursuit of a ripped physique, making sure you get enough of this mineral is important because it controls fat storage and breakdown by determining whether to release the hormone calcitriol, which causes the body to produce fat and inhibits fat breakdown. Consume enough calcium and calcitriol is suppressed. Calcium also helps to increase the amount of dietary fat that is excreted from the intestines before being absorbed.

#3 IT CONTAINS COUSINS TO AMINO ACIDS.
Broccoli also belongs on the bodybuilding plate because it is an excellent source of glucosinolates — sulfur-containing chemical compounds that help in cell defense. Glucosinolates are derived from methionine, phenylalanine and trytophan — branched-chain amino acids. When broccoli is chewed or chopped, the glucosinolates are converted into isothiocyanates. There is still much to be understood about these phytochemicals, but researchers do know that they help protect cells from stress — the kind an intense workout can cause —as well as help defend against certain types of cancers.

#4 IT AIDS RECOVERY.
When you think of food sources of vitamin C, oranges are probably the first things that come to mind. Broccoli is also a good source of this antioxidant (about 120 mg per 1,5 cups of chopped broccoli). Vitamin C helps you recover faster from a particularly intense workout and helps ensure that the hard training session hasn't taken such a toll on your immune system that you miss your next workout.

#5 IT LIMITS ESTROGEN.
Broccoli contains phytochemicals called indoles, which help the body convert estrogen into a safer form. This can help raise testosterone levels, and higher testosterone levels ... you know the rest. Indoles from foods such as broccoli have also been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as prostate.

taken from Flex Magazine, November 2006