Simple ways to add the health benefits of broccoli to your diet

Broccoli is known for its cancer-fighting compounds. Numerous studies over the past 20 years have found that people who eat plenty of broccoli have a significantly lower risk of several cancers, including breast, colon, cervical, lung, prostate and bladder cancer. Broccoli's also a good source of calcium, which may help lower high blood pressure, common in people with diabetes. Here are some of the health benefits of eating broccoli and some ways to add the vegetable to your diet.

The glycemic load (GL) of broccoli is based on a 65-gram (1/2-cup) serving, but feel free to eat as much as you want.

• Because it's big on volume and small on calories, broccoli is a great way to bulk up carb dishes (think pasta, casseroles and baked potatoes) to lower their GL.
• Not only does broccoli have very little impact on your blood sugar, it's one of the best food sources of chromium, a mineral required for insulin to function normally (remember, insulin helps the body use up blood sugar so there's less in the bloodstream).
• Two servings of broccoli provide almost half of your daily chromium requirement.
• Fibre, at a hearty four grams per stalk, is also part of broccoli's "benefits package."
• Broccoli also packs a wallop of vitamin C. Two servings contain more than 100 percent of the RDA for this vitamin. If you're fighting diabetes — or even if you already have it — that's important.
• Even if vitamin C can't protect you from diabetes (the jury is still out), it and other antioxidants can certainly lower your risk of diabetes-related complications such as eye and nerve damage.

Does the taste of broccoli on your tongue make you recoil in disgust? You may be able to blame your genes.

• Researchers have discovered a gene that makes some people hypersensitive to the bitter-tasting compounds in broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage.

Here are some great ways to add broccoli to your diet. (Don't overcook broccoli; it will turn pale and mushy and lose some of its nutrients.)

• For creamy soup without the cream, purée cooked broccoli, cauliflower and onion with salt and white pepper. Add low-fat milk for a creamier texture.
• Add chopped broccoli florets to omelets, vegetable lasagna and pizza.
• For a super-low-GL meal, make a beef and broccoli stir-fry and serve over a modest portion of brown rice.
• Whip up a broccoli salad to take on your next picnic. Mix broccoli florets, sliced carrots, sliced green olives, diced pimientos and chopped walnuts, and marinate in Italian dressing.
• Top steamed broccoli with a spoonful of low-fat sour cream and some slivered almonds for a healthy side dish.
• Dip raw broccoli in light ranch or Italian dressing as a snack or an addition to lunch.