HEALTHY EATING
When did “Where’s the Beef?” turn into “Hey, Dude, you forgot the Broccolini!”
Something happened in America between Clara Peller’s iconic TV appearance for Wendy’s and the acceptance of Michael Pollan’s ideas in his book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
Mark Zuleger-Thyss
“It certainly is a big bun!”
“It’s a very big bun.”
“A big fluffy bun.”
“A very big fluffy bun.”
“Where’s the beef?
In a 2004 issue of the New York Times Magazine, Michael Pollan, author of “Our National Eating Disorder,” touched upon the fickleness of America’s ever-changing relationship with food.
Pollan wrote about “…these applecart-toppling nutritional swings in America” and how striking it is only a little nudge is needed to set one off.
Who can forget Clara Peller’s rib-tickling spot for Wendy’s in 1984?
While staring at a considerable hamburger bun containing a minuscule hamburger patty, Peller, appearing with two other ladies, launched a cultural phenomenon with her three-word condemnation, “Where’s the beef?”
The campaign led you to believe Wendy’s had what all the others did not. This potent notion was delivered in the same spirit as the "7-UP, the Un-Cola" assertion.
Peller’s “beef” campaign helped increase Wendy’s annual revenue by 31 percent (to $945 million in 1985 worldwide). The TV ad made the pint-sized Peller an instant celebrity following that first commercial.
In contrast, President George H.W. Bush made his famous declaration, “I do not like broccoli,” in 1990. “I’m President of the United States, and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli!”
In response, the broccoli growers of California, who produced over 90 percent of America’s broccoli, pledged to send several trucks of the vegetable to the White House. George Dunlop, the president of the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, gave First Lady Barbara Bush a bouquet of broccoli and truckloads of the vegetable.
One supermarket sales director told the Los Angeles Times, “Broccoli has never enjoyed so much publicity.”
In Defense of Food, An Eater’s Manifesto
There are so many reasons why we should all eat more broccoli!
Broccoli & Broccolini ~ "The King of Vegetables"
Broccoli is one of the vegetables with the highest nutrient density. Crisp, wholesome, and utterly delightful, broccoli contains most of the nutrients the human body needs. Its nutrients are not only high in content but also very broad.
It's no secret that Michael Pollan loves plants. He's been encouraging folks to eat more real food—especially vegetables—for nearly two decades.
Pollan, the author of "In Defense of Food," said that vegetables can function as preventive medicine by providing numerous health benefits. "It's much better to get your vitamins from food," Pollan says.
Brassicas, a family of cruciferous vegetables also known as Cole crops, provide a ton of health-boosting benefits. They are some of the stockiest, crunchiest plants you can find in the grocery store. Brassicas improve circulation and blood flow and can help prevent several age-related diseases.
Broccoli, a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, is one of the most nutritious green vegetables. Broccoli enjoys the lofty status of a superfood. The cruciferous name comes from the cross-shaped flowers produced by the broccoli plant and its relatives: cabbage, collard greens, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
These vegetables are known for their beneficial health effects. Broccoli's high number of phenolic compounds helps fight cancer and can also solve minor health concerns, such as allergies.
Brassicas contain sulfur-based chemicals called glucosinolates, which give them their bitter flavor. When we chop, chew, and digest cruciferous vegetables, these potent chemicals break down into bioactive compounds that may help prevent some forms of cancer.
Next time you are offered broccoli – help yourself to an extra serving!
Broccoli is high in many nutrients, including fiber, vitamin K, iron, and potassium. Vitamins A and K help our body absorb vitamin D, which is vital to maintaining healthy bones and preventing disease.
Additionally, broccoli has a high vitamin C content. One cup of broccoli provides 135% of your recommended vitamin C intake.
Many green vegetables can be enjoyed both raw and cooked, and this is especially true for broccoli. Research suggests that gentle steaming provides the most health benefits.
Broccoli vs
The Beleaguered Potato
There is one piece of diet advice food reporters all agree upon consistently:
Eat more whole plant foods. More vegetables and fruits, more legumes and grains, more tubers, and roots.
There is only one notable exception, and it is the beleaguered potato. The message seems to be, Eat more plants! Just not potatoes!
Don’t cry for me, Mr. Potato Head
You got the Starch...
I got the … Nutrients!
Starch comprises glucose molecules, a simple sugar that our cells can use as fuel with little processing from our bodies. It goes right into the bloodstream.
The blood sugar spike prompts the pancreas to release insulin, enabling our body to use or store that sugar. When that process is concluded, we’ll be hungry again!
The quicker it happens, the sooner we start running around the kitchen looking for our next meal, and the fatter we get.
Even so, a person who eats plenty of potatoes may be different from one who eats no potatoes—and different in many non-potato-related ways— so it’s impossible to blame that heart attack on curly fries.
The picture changes slightly when you move from population data to research, where people are fed potatoes in a lab. The knock against the potatoes is the detrimental quick spike in blood sugar, which leaves people hungry combined with the subsequent insulin response.
Despite their health concerns, potatoes do have a silver lining. They are satiating, as evidenced when you feed them to people and then ask how full they are a couple of hours later. This aspect of potatoes can be reassuring for those concerned about overeating.
Part of the potato’s problem is simply its classification. When you call it a vegetable, you ask it to fight above its weight class.
Compare potatoes with green vegetables; you get more calories and less nutrition.
Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is anti-potato. “Potatoes don’t behave like most other vegetables,” he said.
“In numerous scientific studies, potatoes have not shown the same benefits as other vegetables in reducing cardiovascular disease. In fact, they have been consistently linked to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes,” Willett emphasizes. He also noted that potatoes are associated with weight gain and hypertension, providing a clear picture of their potential health risks.
Broccoli is Super Nutritious
Raw broccoli contains almost 90% water, 7% carbs, 3% protein, and almost no fat. It is very low in calories, providing only 35 calories per cup, or 90 grams of pure plant goodness.
One cup (90 g) of raw broccoli contains:
- Calories: 35
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Carbs: 5.6 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Vitamin C: 91% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Vitamin K: 77% of the DV
- Folate: 15% of the DV
.
Each serving also contains a small amount of potassium, magnesium, iron, and calcium.
Sautéed, steamed, boiled, or roasted — served raw in salads or with dips!
Broccoli, a versatile vegetable, can be enjoyed in various ways - cooked or raw. Both methods are equally healthy, offering different nutrient profiles to cater to your specific dietary needs.
Different cooking methods, such as boiling, microwaving, stir-frying, and steaming, alter the vegetable's nutrient composition, particularly reducing vitamin C, soluble protein, and sugar. Steaming appears to have the fewest adverse effects.
Broccoli, a nutritional powerhouse, is rich in vitamin C, whether consumed raw or cooked. A mere half a cup (78 grams) of cooked broccoli can provide you with an impressive 84% of the recommended daily intake (RDI)—that's more than what half an orange can offer.
Broccoli provides Protection
Phytochemical Sulforaphane and Other Important Cancer-fighting Plant Compounds
Did you know that broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables are packed with specific bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, that can benefit your health? These compounds have been shown to help protect cells from damage caused by chronic diseases.
Scientific evidence consistently supports the fact that incorporating cruciferous vegetables into your diet can significantly reduce the risk of several types of cancer, providing a reassuring shield for your health.
Breast, Bladder, Colorectal, Gastric/stomach, Prostate, and Renal/kidney
Next time you think about what to eat, consider adding some cruciferous vegetables.
The Bottom Line | Broccoli’s Upside
Broccoli is a nutrient-rich vegetable that may enhance your health in a variety of ways, such as by reducing inflammation, improving blood sugar control, boosting immunity, and promoting heart health.
However, keep in mind that good health doesn’t come from any single food. Broccoli is merely one of numerous healthy foods that can contribute to optimal health.
Including this nutritious vegetable in your healthy, balanced diet may help you achieve your health goals more easily.
Commentary
Clara Peller’s iconic catchphrase “Where’s the beef?” became a national symbol for quality and value that extended from the hamburger grill into the political frying pan.
Clara herself, a former cosmetologist known for her gruff demeanor, passed away peacefully in her sleep due to congestive heart failure at the age of 86 in August of 1987. She was buried at Waldheim Jewish Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois.
Clara Peller was known for her feisty personality, displayed when she appeared at WrestleMania 2 at Chicago's Rosemont Horizon in 1986.
One must wonder, though, about Clara's diet outside the media spotlight. Given her passing due to congestive heart failure and coronary atherosclerosis, was her health perhaps compromised by a diet of burgers and fries?
Indeed, many fans of Peller's cheekiness, some of them no doubt broccoli lovers, would have preferred seeing her dine on broccoli and even Broccolini.
Imagine if Clara Peller had embraced a plant-based, vegetarian diet. She might have continued to grace our screens in TV advertisements for De Beers, immortalizing her with the iconic phrase,
“A diamond is forever.”
To be sure, a scientific study, a new government guideline, or a lone crackpot with a medical degree can alter America’s diet overnight.
Equally powerful is a salty quip from a gutsy octogenarian capable of changing a nation’s feelings about popular products.
Keywords: broccoli, cruciferous vegetable, medicinal properties, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer
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