Nutritionist shoots down viral TikTok "hack" for cooking broccoli
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Recently, there has been a broccoli cooking "hack" going around on social media, claiming to be the best and most convenient way to cook broccoli by boiling it with the stem sitting above the water.
The TikTok user showed that by cooking the vegetable like this, she can easily cut it in one swift motion, releasing every tiny floret without having to awkwardly cut each one.
The woman's post attracted plenty of attention from users and fellow home cooks, with many of them keen on trying the easy method.
However, one major issue with this method prompted a nutritionist to step in.
This broccoli hack is labelled "genius" but an expert says it's not the healthiest option. Credit: TikTok/@steph2302.
Lyndi Cohen, also known as the Nude Nutritionist on social media, said that she was not the "biggest fan" of the hack.
"If you’ve boiled broccoli that soft that you can cut it with a fork, you have certainly boiled out a bunch of nutrients – like vitamins E, K, calcium, and polyphenols," said the expert.
"When you boil broccoli you lose up to 90 per cent of the nutrients, ending up with very nutrient-rich water, which most people throw away."
Many users also claimed that the stalk of the broccoli is the most nutritious part, to which Cohen replied that it isn't exactly true.
"The stalk is not more nutritious than the florets, but it does have more fibre," she said. "Fibre is really important for your gut health and microbiome, which affects your immune system, mood and more."
You heard it from the expert, folks!
Ms Cohen's gripe about the cooking hack is not about the fact that the woman from TikTok carelessly threw out the broccoli stem (which can be nutritious too), it's about boiling broccoli too much and for too long that it loses almost all of the nutrients you can get from it.
Instead of boiling your broccoli, Cohen suggests stir-frying, grilling, or baking it. "Combining it with olive oil will also help your body absorb the nutrients," she added.
Or, you can also try this easy saute method. The best part – you can whip this recipe up in mere minutes!
Credit: Clean & Delicious.