Broccoli is considered a health-promoting superfood because it is packed with fiber, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants.
It makes for an excellent side dish and has numerous health benefits including improvement of the immune system, brain, heart, bones, and gut health.
However, nothing is perfect, and excessive consumption of anything isn’t a good idea!
Belonging to the Brassicaceae family, broccoli is an excellent source of essential nutrients.
However, overeating broccoli or consuming more than the recommended daily amount can bring about negative side effects.
These side effects can range from the development of serious conditions such as hypothyroidism to annoying issues like being gassy and bloated.
You’ve probably heard that eating your veggies is good for you.
And that’s true! Vegetables are packed with nutrients that can help your body in all sorts of ways.
But what happens if you eat too much of one vegetable?
For starters, you might notice that your stomach feels a bit upset.
That’s because broccoli is a high-fiber food, and eating too much fiber can cause gas and bloating.
You might also notice that your urine smells differently.
That’s because the sulfur compounds in broccoli can make your urine smell stronger than usual.
But don’t worry, these side effects are usually not serious and will go away on their own.
However, if you find that you’re having trouble digesting broccoli or other vegetables, it might be a good idea to see a doctor or registered dietitian to make sure there isn’t an underlying health condition causing the problem.
What Are The Negative Effects Of Broccoli?
Some people are concerned about eating high amounts of cruciferous vegetables because they lead to negative side effects.
In the majority of cases, broccoli is safe to consume, and the undesirable reactions are not severe and will go away in a few hours.
Similar to Brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, and cabbage, negative side effects might appear with excessive consumption.
These include:
Allergic Reactions – Broccoli comprises salicylate, which can lead to allergic reactions in certain people.
You might experience headaches, skin rashes, nasal congestion, breathing troubles, and stomach pain.
People who experience allergic reactions from other cruciferous veggies are at a higher risk of being allergic to broccoli.
You should also be careful about consuming broccoli if you are on medications such as warfarin.
Digestive Distress – Avoiding broccoli is a good idea if you have a food sensitivity or suffer from IBS, as high volumes of fiber and overeating can have a negative impact.
When you consume too much fiber, it will over-activate bowel movements.
In addition, broccoli contains difficult carbs like raffinose that are hard to digest for some people, causing bloating and gassiness.
If you experience these digestive problems when eating broccoli, it is advised to cut back on this healthy vegetable. I
in addition, raw broccoli should be avoided in such situations.
Pregnancy Side Effects – Broccoli is considered safe for pregnant and nursing mothers because it contains folic acid and numerous anti-oxidants that will protect the fetus.
However, dietary fibers and glucosinolates in the broccoli can lead to side effects including intestinal bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
Even though these aren’t serious conditions, it can make you uncomfortable, and it is best to consult your doctor and notice any food tolerance.
Can Too Much Broccoli Cause Problems?
Excessive consumption of healthy foods is also dangerous.
Broccoli has taken over the internet and is considered a superfood owing to the benefits it offers.
However, too much broccoli can lead to several problems like drop in sugar levels, bloat, diarhhea, and gas.
Gastrointestinal Upsets – You may have noticed that after eating broccoli, you sometimes get gas or even diarrhea.
While it’s unpleasant, it’s actually a normal reaction and nothing to worry about.
When we eat broccoli (or any other food), it starts to break down in our stomachs.
Some of the food gets digested and absorbed into our bloodstream, but some of the harder-to-digest parts travel on to our intestines.
If we eat a lot of broccoli (or other high-fiber foods), the indigestible parts can make their way through our system too quickly.
They haven’t had time to break down fully, so they can cause gas and diarrhea.
Hyperthyroidism – Broccoli is abundant in goitrogen which is a chemical that suppresses the thyroid gland’s functioning.
Eating large quantities of broccoli will interfere with iodine levels in the body which will lead to an enlarged thyroid gland.
As a result, you will experience fatigue, hair loss, and bloating.
People who have a pre-existing iodine deficiency are at a higher risk of experiencing hyperthyroidism due to broccoli.
It is best to cook cruciferous vegetables if you have this condition.
Drop in sugar levels – Blood sugar regulation and sugar absorption reduction in the bloodstream are two major benefits of consuming broccoli.
However, when you consume an exceedingly high amount of broccoli it has a tendency of dropping blood sugar levels.
This abnormal drop can lead to dizziness, excessive sweating, shakiness, confusion, moodiness, and excessive hunger.
Diabetic individuals should consult a doctor before incorporating broccoli into their diet to understand the risks.
Hypotension – Broccoli regulates high blood pressure because of the potassium in it.
Eating vegetables improves blood circulation and potassium will relax blood vessels.
When high amounts of potassium enter the body, it will negatively impact blood pressure levels.
Nausea, poor concentration, pale skin, dizziness, and dehydration will be experienced.
How Much Broccoli Is Too Much In A Day?
For years now, broccoli has been seen as a superfood and a go-to option for people who want to eat more vegetables.
However, like any food, too much of a good thing can easily backfire on you.
Broccoli is a vegetable extremely rich in fiber which can cause gastrointestinal upsets if eaten excessively.
The suggested broccoli consumption for one person is 1-2 cups of fresh broccoli in a day, which is approximately 10-15 broccoli florets.
Broccoli intake also differs between men and women.
The recommended daily consumption for men is 125-174 grams whereas women should not exceed 90-150 grams.
When you consume 1 cup of broccoli per day, it will equal approximately half of an adult’s daily vegetable dose.
Research suggests that a healthy diet must contain a variety of vegetables instead of eating one type, giving you a large range of nutrients instead of confining your digestive system.
In the long run, it will not be beneficial to exceed broccoli consumption per day at the expense of avoiding all other vegetables.
Eating a single serving of broccoli will provide a whopping 220% of the recommended daily vitamin C intake.
Vitamin C is an important nutrient that helps to boost the immune system, promote wound healing, and provide antioxidant protection.
However, it is possible to get too much vitamin C.
When this happens, you may experience digestive upset, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps.
In severe cases, vitamin C overdose can lead to kidney stones and other serious health problems.
So how much vitamin C is too much?
The recommended daily allowance for vitamin C is 75-90 mg per day.
However, many people take much higher doses of vitamin C without experiencing any problems.
It is only when the dose exceeds 2000 mg per day that serious side effects are likely to occur.
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.