Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan)
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Chinese broccoli looks like a leafy stem vegetable, but it packs a serious punch of vitamins A, C, and K into very few calories.
Stage by stage
- Chewing & release (Mouth): Chewing gai lan's fibrous stems and leaves ruptures plant cells, releasing vitamin C, carotenoids, and glucosinolate compounds.
- Stomach breakdown (Stomach): Stomach acid continues breaking down plant fiber and begins liberating fat-soluble vitamins A and K from the plant matrix.
- Intestinal absorption (Small intestine): Vitamin C is absorbed quickly in the small intestine, while vitamin K1 and beta-carotene need dietary fat present to be absorbed efficiently.
- Liver & bone use (Liver & bones): Vitamin K travels to the liver to activate clotting factors and to bone to support osteocalcin function, while vitamin C and carotenoids act as antioxidants throughout the body.
Timing
Cooking gai lan with a small amount of oil improves absorption of its fat-soluble vitamin K and beta-carotene.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Some effects, like improved iron absorption from its vitamin C, can occur within a day or two, but vitamin K's contribution to bone health builds cumulatively over weeks of regular consumption.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.
In season
June to November in the northern hemisphere, December to May in the southern.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 26 kcal per 100 g that is 923 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
0.5 kg CO2e and 76 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Brassicas" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 26
- Protein: 1.2g
- Carbohydrate: 4.7g
- of which sugars: 1g
- Fat: 0.8g
- of which saturated: 0.1g
- Fibre: 2g
- Sodium: 10mg
Food vs. supplement
Gai lan supplies vitamin K, vitamin C, and provitamin-A carotenoids together with fiber and cruciferous plant compounds, a combination whole food delivers more safely and completely than isolated supplements.
Kitchen tip
Trim tough stem ends, split thick stalks lengthwise for even cooking, and stir-fry or briefly steam rather than boil to preserve vitamin C and glucosinolates.
Common myth
"Chinese broccoli is basically the same as regular broccoli, just with a fancier name, so it doesn't matter which one you eat." In reality: Gai lan is a related but distinct Brassica oleracea variety with a different nutrient profile emphasis -- it is notably higher in vitamin K per serving than common broccoli, and because vitamin K promotes blood clotting, people on warfarin or other vitamin K antagonist medications should keep their intake of gai lan (like other high-vitamin-K greens) consistent rather than assuming it's nutritionally interchangeable and eating it in variable amounts.
Recipes that use it
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