People have been trying to sneak healthy options into our diets for years, but have we took science too far? Apparently, there’s a whole new way to make our parents proud after years of having avoided vegetables: broccoli coffee.
This concoction was coined by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation when they partnered with Hort Innovation. They developed the drink in Australia after the increased interest in healthy eating across the globe.
While both coffee and broccoli offer numerous health benefits, enthusiasts for both dietary options hesitate before combining the two. The drink is made with your average cup of coffee combined with dried broccoli that’s been ground up as a fine powder. Even the creators of the coffee concoction have witnessed mixed reviews from patrons in Melbourne.
Simply add two tablespoons of the powder and you get one full serving of vegetables. If you don’t like the idea of adding it to your coffee, you can always add it to other, more common drinks or meals, such as smoothies and yogurts.
According to Hort Innovation, Australians need a healthy boost of broccoli in their diets.
“Research shows the average Australian is still not eating the recommended daily intake of vegetables a day, and options such as broccoli powder will help address this,” claimed Hort Innovation’s chief executive, John Lloyd.
Even though broccoli powder might not be your cup of tea (coffee in this case), the nutrition editor for Health, Cynthia Sass, encourages the use of broccoli powder, especially in coffee.
“Attempting to add it to coffee makes sense, because it’s something most people already drink daily, and one of the best ways to create healthy change is to piggyback onto an existing habit,” she claimed. She also highlighted the importance of reducing food waste through powders such as these.
“I like the idea of a product like this being used to reduce food waste and provide a simple way to add a serving of veggies, especially a cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, which is among the most protective against both heart disease and cancer, our two leading causes of death,” she continued.
This added nutritional bonus can also help keep you out of the hospital. An estimated 1 billion colds plague Americans each year, alone.
Coffee, however, has its own benefits. While your nutritional health might improve with the addition of broccoli powder, ABC News notes the importance of sitting down with friends over a cup of coffee.
In an interview with ABC News, Dr. Christine Moutier discusses the necessity of incorporating “real conversation” into our lives that can offer feelings of connection and crisis prevention.
“‘Real conversations’ means communicating in whatever form you want — send a text, pick up the phone or meet for coffee — but in a way that moves beyond the superficial of ‘I’m okay,’ or ‘I’m just busy,’ to talking about hopes, dreams and challenges,” reports ABC News.
Incorporating healthy habits, including healthy relationships, food, and drinks, are a great way to stay healthy — but it might be a better idea to keep coffee and broccoli separate.