Can My Dog Eat Broccoli
We love for you to add some fresh green veggies to the dog's bowl. And broccoli is a great choice with many benefits. Many clients tell me their dogs love it! It’s good for them too!
Benefits of Broccoli For Dogs
Broccoli provides potassium, Vitamin A, high in folate, vitamin K, a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin C, cancer-fighting food, improving microbiome & gut health, and healthy fiber, just to name a few! It’s good for heart health, eye health and adds a good source of fiber and many other nutritional components.
Raw Broccoli for Dogs
It has been recommended for many years that we should chope & lightly stream or saute our vegetables for dogs. You’ll hear some holistic veterinarians and nutritionists now saying raw broccoli is preferred. Use both options — see what works best for your dog!
Benefits of Sulforaphane For Dogs
You've heard me talk about the effects of nutrition on behavior and broccoli is one of many that plays a big role. Yes, Broccoli may contribute to the reduction of anxiety and stress. Sulforaphane & the nutrients of broccoli aids in the reduction of inflammation to help manage behavioral changes. Inflammation is not our friend in health or behavior.
Stress hormones deplete important vitamins and minerals like Zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B. Nutrients in broccoli help to replenish these important nutrients.
All things in moderation! Remember that our vegetable content in a healthy diet should only be about 20% of the bowl, but even a few scraps from the cutting board is beneficial — even if you’re adding it to kibble.
Sulforaphane In Broccoli
To maximize the benefits of sulforaphane in your cruciferous vegetables, cut the veggies and let them sit for 40 minutes before cooking. Cooking inactivates an essential enzyme needed in the vegetables to release & protect the sulforaphane. Science - right?
Frozen broccoli lacks part of the requirement to form sulforaphane, but adding a tiny bit of finely grated Daikon radish or chopped radish sprouts helps achieve the sulforaphane benefit.
Broccoli and Hypothyroidism
Some concerns exist that broccoli can reduce hormone production in the thyroid. It was long believed that dogs with hypothyroidism should skip the cruciferous veg. Today, we know the benefit of veg in our dog’s diet is significantly important, and may outweigh other risks. But we also know that if we cook the veg does not pose the same risk as raw veg in hypothyroid clients. Include cooked cruciferous veg in moderation!
As always be sure to vary & rotate the frequency of broccoli and rotate it with other green veggies. Don’t get in a food rut! Vary your choices to include kale, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, broccoli-raab and others.