“I do not like broccoli. I haven’t liked it since I was a kid and my mother made me eat it. I’m now the President of the United States of America and I’m not going to eat any more broccoli.”
President George H.W. Bush, March 1990
Many people like to complain about eating their vegetables at some point in their life. Former US president George Bush senior made his views very clear about what he thought about eating broccoli. He even made sure that broccoli was never served in the White House or on the Presidential jet, Air Force One!
The broccoli growers in California where most of America’s broccoli is grown were very upset with the president’s remarks. In fact, they arranged for 20 tons of the green vegetable to be dumped at the White House shortly after the President made his statement. The damage had already been done though. The amount of broccoli eaten in America whilst President Bush was President dropped 15 per cent.
President Clinton followed President Bush into the White House in 1992. Not wanting to have broccoli dumped at the White House once more, the new President’s wife, Hillary, announced that her family were, “big broccoli eaters.” Within a short time, the amount of broccoli eaten in America increased by 50 per cent!
Whether you like broccoli or not, it looks as if broccoli is good for you and you should try to eat some. Recent research has shown that by eating broccoli the amount of protein in your body increases and it helps your heart work properly.
In an experiment at Connecticut University, some rats were divided into two groups. One group was fed broccoli for one month. The other group was not. It was found that the hearts of the rats that had eaten the broccoli were healthier than the group of rats that had not eaten broccoli. The research also showed that it was better to eat raw or slightly cooked broccoli.
Former President George Bush lived to a grand old age – he died aged 94 on 30 November 2018 – so it looks as if his refusal to eat broccoli as an adult did not do him any harm. But remember, he did say his mother made him eat broccoli when he was a child. Maybe that had something to do with his good health in later life.
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