For those who don’t like broccoli but want to eat healthily, broccolini may be the solution. A mix between broccoli and Chinese broccoli, broccolini has a sweeter, milder taste.

While it may have a different flavor, broccolini retains many of the same health benefits as its larger tree-shaped cousin. When you add in garlic, like the recipe below, your taste buds will surely be delighted while your body thanks you for the nutrition.

Benefits of Broccolini

As a cruciferous vegetable, broccolini delivers the same health benefits as others in the family like kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. These include:

Rich in Vitamin C

As a strong antioxidant, vitamin C protects you from free radical damage. The antioxidant properties also support your immune system, allowing you to better fight colds, infections, and even the flu.

Vitamin C also helps to lower blood pressure which can protect you from heart disease. In addition to this, vitamin C can inhibit the production of uric acid, which helps prevent inflammation and gout. You can also benefit from better iron absorption.

High Calcium Content

People often overlook vegetables as a source of calcium, but this is a big mistake. While dairy foods are more popular for providing calcium, vegetables like broccolini contain high levels of the essential minerals too. And this vegetable doesn’t cause allergies the way some dairy products do.

The calcium you get from broccolini will protect your bones from bone loss and osteoporosis as well as maintaining healthy blood clotting function and supporting a healthy heart.

Fiber

Broccolini has a high fiber content, which helps promote healthy digestion. It also serves as nourishment for your gut bacteria, as it makes it way almost completely undigested to your intestines.

By feeding them, your gut microbiome remains balanced which prevents growth of harmful bacterial strains and digestive troubles. Regular fiber intake also promotes healthy bowel movements and prevents against constipation and other bowel-related issues.

Lower Cholesterol

The fiber in broccoli also helps protect your heart. Fiber lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, which prevents blood vessel damage and the formation of arterial plaques.

Too much cholesterol can cause clogged arteries which leads to increased blood pressure and stress on the heart. By controlling cholesterol in the blood, this fiber helps to prevent common cardiovascular issues.

Spice Up the Nutritional Value With Garlic

Garlic may be known in folklore for keeping vampires away, but in reality, it helps keep disease and illness away. Adding a little garlic to every meal (as in the recipe here), boosts your immunity.

Garlic has several health-boosting qualities that more than make up for its strong smell and taste.

Immunity Booster

Studies have repeatedly found that garlic helps to prevent colds and infections, or at least significantly reduce the length of time one suffers. The powerful compounds in garlic help boost your immune system so you can better fight bacteria and viruses.

Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the leading causes of heart disease and heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in this country. Garlic can help to prevent this by significantly reducing blood pressure. As a supplement or when added to food, garlic has been found to lower blood pressure within healthy ranges for those previously diagnosed with hypertension.

Lower Cholesterol

High cholesterol also contributes to heart disease by causing the formation of plaques in your blood vessels. These clogs disrupt blood flow and increase blood pressure and strain on the heart. Garlic is effective for reducing total cholesterol in your blood thus protecting your vessels from potential damage.

Brain Booster

Garlic increases antioxidant levels in your body which can help protect against oxidative damage. Oxidative damage is linked to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In combination with reducing cholesterol which can also damage the brain, garlic’s ability to protect against oxidative damage can prevent cognitive decline in the brain.

Natural Detox

Adding garlic to your meals is one beneficial way to support the detoxification efforts of your liver. The sulfur compounds in garlic serve as protection against heavy metal toxicity in your organs.

Increased garlic consumption has been linked to reduced toxicity symptoms, such as headaches and elevated blood pressure.

Sheet Pan Trout With Garlic Broccolini

Ingredients

1/2 clove garlic, finely grated

2 teaspoons aleppo pepper or red pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice and sliced lemon

1 pinch kosher salt and black pepper

2 pieces trout, whole butterflied, heads removed

2 bunches broccolini

2 tablespoons capers, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine garlic, aleppo pepper, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Lay the trout down flat, skin-side down, on a rimmed sheet pan, fitting the two pieces snugly next to each other. Place lemon slices on top of the trout and scatter broccolini and capers around it.

2. Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast until broccolini has started to lightly char around the edges and the trout is opaque and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle everything with the olive oil-garlic mixture, then let the flavors mingle for a minute or two.

3. Serve directly from the sheet pan or transfer trout to a large serving platter or divide fillets among 4 smaller plates. The stalks of broccolini are much thinner than broccoli and the cooking time is much shorter.

The Bottom Line

Whether you like the taste of broccoli or not, you will be missing out on a wide range of health benefits by cutting it from your diet. Luckily, there may be a simple solution in broccolini, which can provide the same nutrients with a sweeter and often more-preferred taste.

When you serve broccolini with garlic and a tasty fish like trout, you get a balanced meal, a new taste, and nothing but good health for the future.