Broccoli and Protein

Was eating some broccoli (flowerets) the other day and took a look at the package. This food was one-half protein (measured by total calories)! 3g of Protein = 12 calories out of a 25 calorie total serving.

I always assumed there was some protein in veggies, but I didn’t know the concentration was this high. I realize there may be some issues with the quality of proteins from vegetable sources, but with proper food combining this won’t be an issue.

Looking on the net, I see that the exact percentage of protein depends on if they include just the brocolli tops, the entire flowerette, or the entire stalk. For only the dark green tops you get about 45% protein, for the flowerette you get about 25% (still not bad!).

Here’s a view of the nutritional map for the flowerette. Highly nutrient rich and filling.

Here is a view of the other essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals) in this food:

Now, let’s compare that to some ground beef:

Add to that the difference in fat content; 30-50% for meat depending on the lean-ness vs ~10% or less for veggies; and I think broccoli comes out the winner on this one!

FYI: Check out http://www.nutritiondata.com for lots of great stats on food nutrition.