'Super broccoli' food research scientist

Activity overview

Run the activity

1. You’re going to watch a short video. The aim isn't to find right answers, it's to explore ideas and find out what they know.

• Do they know what might happen based on the image?

2. After you've watched the video, lead a discussion with your class:

• What do you think of broccoli?
• What do the class know about why vegetables are good for us?
• Why is it important to try and keep your heart healthy? 
• What different things did Charlotte Armah do in her research?

3. Ask the class to describe what they saw using only one word.

Background science

Charlotte Armah is a research scientist looking at the relationship between diet and health. In this video, Dr Armah talks about her investigation into how broccoli can help reduce the chances of people developing conditions such as heart disease and certain cancers.

Charlotte’s research group discovered that broccoli contains a chemical (a compound called glucaphorin) which helps to protect the cells of the body as they age. As the cells of the body do their various jobs, they produce waste products which can damage cell structures. If this happens in important organs, like the heart, it can lead to heart disease. In other cells of the body, the damage can even lead to cancer. The good news is that cells can fight back by making anti-oxidants- chemicals which can remove the waste products. Glucaphorin boosts antioxidant levels and so a diet rich in broccoli may help to reduce the chances of developing heart disease or cancer.

Many green, leafy vegetables including kale and spinach are also good sources antioxidants as well as being sources of vitamins, iron, and fibre which are essential for a healthy diet.

Watch out for...

Some children associate the word diet with controlling or reducing what you eat as they will know of adults ‘going on a diet’. It is important that children understand that, in science, it means the kinds of food that a person or animal normally eats.

Take it further

Children can learn about the different food groups and sort them using the Eatwell plate. Can they design a meal that includes a range of vegetables as well as the other food groups? Children could grow broccoli or other vegetables in the school grounds. Discuss what else is important to keep our heart healthy?

Your class could discuss, Have you ever been told to eat more fruit and vegetables? Or the children could consider one of these Big Questions, How many vegetables should I eat?  What foods keep us healthy?, or What is a balanced diet for us and the planet?

Video

Watch the Royal Society’s full recording of Charlotte Armah

Cross-curricular

Create a broccoli superhero with this Royal Society resource. Children can look closely at broccoli with a hand lens, research it and then create their own superhero and write a story about it saving lives.

This short BBC clip introduces the different food groups.