Health breakthrough: 'Super broccoli'?

It's no secret that most kids disdain broccoli. But how will they react to "super broccoli"? The healthy-yet-loathed side dish has gotten a makeover, thanks to British scientists who created a breed that contains three times the nutritional magic as regular broccoli. Here's what you should know:

What makes super broccoli so super?

"Vegetables are a medicine cabinet already," says Richard Mithen, the scientist who led the project. "When you eat broccoli… you get a reduction in cholesterol in your blood stream." But super broccoli packs nearly three times the punch of a key nutrient called glucoraphanin, which is thought to help lower the risk of heart disease by breaking down fat and preventing arteries from clogging, says Greg Wilson at NBC San Diego.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

How did scientists engineer this super veggie?

Using cross-pollination. Super broccoli is actually a hybrid of "traditional British broccoli and a wild Sicilian variety that has no flowery head, but packs a big dose of glucoraphanin," says Ryan Jaslow at CBS News. The whole process took researchers nearly 14 years to get right.

Where can I load up on super broccoli?

It's due to get a wide release in the U.S. this fall, though the modified veggie has already been sold in select stores in California and Texas, and was unveiled in British grocery aisles last month.

OK. But what does it taste like?

Scientists swear it should taste "slightly sweeter" than normal broccoli "because it contains less sulfur," says USA Today. But according to an AP reporter who tried it, it essentially tastes the same.

Sources: CBS, NBC San Diego, USA Today