broccoli
Broccoli earns its +2 in the top 12 and its reputation in small amounts — the isothiocyanate stomach-upset threshold is a big-dose problem, not a floret one.
Also appears on labels as: dried broccoli
What it is
Broccoli florets and stems, fresh or dried. A cruciferous vegetable: fiber, folate, and isothiocyanates — the pungent compounds that, in genuinely large quantities, can irritate the GI tract. At recipe inclusions and treat amounts, that threshold is nowhere in sight.
Why it's in pet food
Green-vegetable credibility with real fiber behind it. Recipes carry it low on the list; homes carry it as steamed leftovers, which most dogs accept and some love.
How Bowlmark scores it
Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.
Broccoli is on the whole-foods bonus list: +2 when it appears in the top 12, counted once, inside the 8-point produce cap. No deduction exists at any dose the engine can see — the large-quantity GI caution belongs to home feeding, where broccoli should stay a side note, not a food group.
For dogs
Plain and steamed beats raw for digestibility; keep it an occasional vegetable, not a staple — the upset-stomach dose is large but not mythical.
For cats
Some cats chew a floret out of curiosity; it's harmless and nutritionally beside the point for an obligate carnivore.
Foods that list broccoli
Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.
Sources
Related ingredients
Further reading
Cite this page
Bowlmark. "Broccoli in pet food — what it is and how it scores." https://www.bowlmark.com/ingredient/broccoli
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