Eating too much broccoli can be bad for your health. Here’s why

If you love gorging on salads, then in all probability, you might end up putting broccoli in it. And why not, it is loaded with a host of nutrients. But, can you eat too much broccoli? What if we tell you that your beloved broccoli could be causing you more harm than good, especially if you’re consuming it on a daily basis. 

Broccoli has some amazing health benefits. It is good for your bones and also has a lot of fibre. However, broccoli has some serious side-effects as well. Be it thyroid or your digestive system, too much broccoli can impact your health in a negative way. Health Shots for in touch with dietician and clinical nutritionist, Anshika Srivastava to understand the disadvantages of eating too much broccoli. 

Disadvantages of eating too much broccoli

 1. Can impact thyroid levels

Sadly, broccoli impacts the functioning of your thyroid gland, because it is goitrogen in nature. They are those chemicals which suppress the functioning of the thyroid gland. This chemical interferes with iodine in your body, due to which your thyroid gland enlarges and leads to goitre. A study, published in Cancer Causes Control, supports this claim,  

“Broccoli also has thiocyanates. This compound is very dangerous because it leads to hyperthyroidism, and due to which, you experience problems like weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and a bloated face”, informs Srivastava.

2. Can lead to gastric issues

Another thing that too much broccoli can do is create gastric issues. Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous family, just like kale and cabbage, and leads to gastric issues as well as bloating in some people. The National Institute of Diabetes and digestive and Kidney Diseases, also lists broccoli as one of the cruciferous vegetables that can cause gas. 

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3. Can lead to bowel irritation

Another reason that one must avoid eating too much broccoli is that it can give you issues with your bowel movement. Broccoli is rich in fibre which is good when eaten in moderation. “If you eat too much fibre, then your body doesn’t make as many enzymes to digest it, and hence you experience bowel irritation”, says Shrivastava.

4. Increases chances of an ischemic stroke

There are also some other side effects of broccoli. If it is not cooked properly, it increases the isoflavones present in it, due to which chances of an ischemic stroke increases, especially in women. 

5. Can interfere with other medications

According to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, people taking blood-thinning medications should keep a tab on their broccoli intake. As per the study, broccoli contains vitamin K, and that could have an impact on the effectiveness of your medicine.

How much broccoli should you eat in a day?

How much broccoli is too much broccoli? The answer to this is that you should must limit your consumption of broccoli to one or two cups a day of cooked broccoli. The best way of eating broccoli is my steaming it. The high fibre content of broccoli can make it hard to digest in the raw form.