Cruciferous Power

 Last week we learned why greens are so great. This week we are going to learn about cruciferous vegetable. These vegetables are the best of all the greens and even  a few vegetables that aren't so green. Here is a list:
Kale, collards, bok choy, arugula, water cress, brussle sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, radish, mustard greens, turnips, rutabaga, and there are a few others but these are the most common and easy to find.  Type this list up. Post it on your refrigerator and get 2 servings a day. A serving is 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked.

Why are cruciferous vegetables so great?

Cruciferous vegetables have powerful anti cancer compounds. When you chop, blend, or chew these vegetables, you activate those anti-cancer compounds which have been shown to detoxify and remove carcinogens, KILL cancer cells, and prevent tumors from growing.
Pharmacol Res 2007;55:224-236     Reported by Joel Fuhrman, MD.
Our cells get damaged every day. If we don't want those damaged cells to become cancer, we must eat cruciferous veggies! Eat them every day.

Twenty-eight servings of vegetables per week decrease prostate cancer risk by 33%, but just 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables per week decreased prostate cancer risk by 41%.
J. Natl Cancer Inst 2000;92:61-68    Reported by Joel Fuhrman, MD
What if we were to eat 28 servings of vegetables a week AND 3 servings of cruciferous vegetables?

One serving per day of cruciferous vegetables reduced the risk of breast cancer by over 50%!
Int J Cancer 2009;125:181-188
What would 2 servings do? There is no excuse for this epidemic!

Join me at the Kitchen Corner (www.kitchencornerst.com) Wednesday January 23rd at 6:30 pm to learn about how to incorporate these amazing foods into your diet deliciously!

The reason cruciferous vegetables are so powerful against cancer is that they have phytochemicals in them that prevent new blood vessel growth, which is needed for tumor growth. No blood vessel growth, no tumor growth. http://nutritionfacts.org/video/raw-broccoli-and-bladder-cancer-survival/
Need some tasty ideas to get them into your diet?
 

Add a leaf or two of kale or collards to your morning smoothie.
Shred cabbage (red is best) on your salad
Any cruciferous veggie is good on a salad
Use cabbage leaves instead of lettuce on your sandwich or wrap
Use cabbage leaves instead of bread for your wrap
Have an open faced sandwich and us a cabbage leaf for the top to hold things together
Chop up broccoli very fine and use in place of or for 1/2 of the hamburger in any recipe. Trust me!! I love it in my chili.
Cut Brussle sprouts in half, steam and use in place of chicken in casseroles. Trust me on this one too!
Blend steamed cauliflower to a cream and use in place of cream in soups and casseroles.

I've added a recipe for Kale and Black Bean Tacos from my book Whole Good Goodness to my recipe page. They might not sound very good but these are the best! My very favorite quick and easy recipe. Let me know what you think.