5 Reasons To Feed Your Dog Broccoli
If you’re anything like us, we hated broccoli growing up. As we get older though, we’ve come to appreciate this crunchy veggie and it’s huge amount of health benefits. Broccoli is one of the most nutritious powerhouse vegetables there is, packed with tons of nutrients and cancer-fighting properties. Even your dog can benefit from broccoli as part of their diet!
1. Broccoli can help prevent and slow the growth of cancer.
Broccoli contains the phytochemical sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has been shown in studies to be a powerhouse when it comes to preventing and fighting cancer. It stops certain enzymes from being produced within your dog’s body, which allows your dog’s body to produce genes that suppress tumor growth instead. These genes help to repair mistakes in damaged DNA and remove cancerous cells from the body, preventing and slowing the growth of cancer. Broccoli sprouts have an even higher concentration of this phytochemical – up to 100x more! A 2018 study by Oregon State University looked at broccoli sprout supplements for dogs and found it may potentially reduce cancer activity.
2. It detoxes the liver.
Your dog’s liver acts as his filtration system to remove the build-up of environmental toxins from his or her system. It’s important to keep your dog’s liver in top shape! Sulforaphane actives genes in your dog’s body to help produce detoxification genes that help trigger your liver to take toxins and convert them into compounds that can be removed from your dog’s body through their urine. Studies on human subjects in China demonstrated that sulforaphane reduced airborne carcinogen absorption into the body by 61%! Studies have shown that dogs absorb and use sulforaphane the same way as humans.
3. Broccoli is great for digestive health.
Broccoli is very high in fiber and contains healthy prebiotics (short-chain fatty acids). These are very beneficial to your dog’s health, as they:
- Slow the growth of harmful bacteria
- Maintain fluid and electrolyte balance
- Boost the immune system
- Support nutrient absorption
Prebiotics help to support a healthy gut microbiome. As they say, gut health drives all the rest of your body’s health, so making sure your dog has a healthy gut is important!
For dogs suffering from leaky gut (when the intestinal lining is weak so harmful microorganisms leak through into their bloodstream and organs), it’s important to help strengthen the gut lining. Prebiotics help with this. If left untreated, leaky gut can cause inflammation and chronic disease over time.
4. Broccoli can fight inflammation in your dog’s body.
Vitamin C and sulforaphane are major anti-inflammatory compounds in broccoli. They help particularly with reducing inflammation in the gut. The healthier the gut = the healthier the dog. Broccoli also helps to maintain the ratio of good vs bad bacteria in your dog’s gut to help reduce inflammation. Organic compounds found in broccoli also help improve the intestinal barrier when broken down by your dog’s digestive system (these are called indol glucosinates).
5. Prevents oxidative stress and chronic diseases.
Did you know that broccoli actually contains more vitamin C than oranges? The vitamin C content and the compound sulforaphane (mentioned above) are what give broccoli it’s impressing free radical-fighting capabilities. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that rids your dog’s body of free radicals that can build up over time to cause oxidative stress and cell damage, leading to chronic disease. Sulforaphone activates genes that clear out damaged cells (ie. cancer) to keep your dog healthy.
How To Feed Your Dog Broccoli
Raw broccoli or broccoli sprouts are best. Lightly steaming them is also ok, but it will result in some nutrient-loss. Since raw veggies can be hard for your dog to fully digest, it’s best to puree the raw veggies and sprinkle some on your dog’s food. Always start off with a small amount (try a teaspoon) and keep it as a small amount – too much of any veggie or fruit can cause digestive upset in dogs.
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