With Spring right around the corner, I'd like to focus this month's edition on a simple improvement that can be made in the diet; adding more vegetables.

It's usually very hard to get all nutritionists to agree on things. However, the one area we all agree is regarding the tremendous value of including green, leafy vegetables into the diet. I particularly like the cruciferous family...

What are Cruciferous Vegetables?

Cruciferous vegetables are members of the cabbage family and should be a regular part of just about everyone's diet. Cruciferous veggies include kale and turnip greens, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi. Scientists have found strong evidence that this family of vegetables may actually be a powerful preventive to cancer. One Swedish study found a 24 percent reduction of breast cancer in the group that ate one serving of a cruciferous vegetable daily, compared to the group that ate one serving every ten days. Chemicals in these vegetables alter the metabolism of estrogen.

In addition to the strong evidence linking the consumption of crucifers to a reduced risk of breast cancer, there appears to be benefit in reducing the risk of other types of cancer including: lung, colon, prostate, bladder and pancreatic.

Consumption of cruciferous vegetables has also been linked to lowering the risks of a variety of different cancers. It is recommended that you eat dark green, leafy at least three times a week and cruciferous vegetables several times week for maximum benefits.

Here are a few tips to help when you are cooking up the crucifers!

• Broccoli

◦ Choose tight heads when shopping.

◦ Wash before using; then cut off the bottom of the stems. Trim as necessary. .

◦ Best buy in season: February, March, April, July, August, September, October and November.

• Cabbage

◦ Look for firm heads that have good color.

◦ Remove damaged outside leaves, then wash. Never shred or slice the cabbage until your are
ready to cook it. Exposing the surfaces to air destroys the vitamin C.

◦ Cook green cabbage just until wilted. Use only a small amount of water, and steam it on low heat.
Red cabbage takes about 50 minutes of simmering to tenderize.

◦ Best buy in season: March

• Brussels Sprouts

◦ Look for tight heads. Remove loose outside leaves before cooking, then wash.

◦ Cook for 6 - 8 minutes over low heat. This vegetable contains sulfur compounds and can become
bitter if overcooked.

◦ Best buy in season: October and November (Come on!!! Give these another try!!!)

• Cauliflower

◦ Choose and prepare like broccoli.

◦ Best buy in season: September, October and November

• Kohlrabi

◦ The bulbs should be 3 inches or smaller and should be stored no more than a few days before
using.

◦ Wash and peel the base before using. Raw kohlrabi can eaten as a snack or used as a substitute
for bamboo shoots. The leaves can be cooked like spinach.

• Turnip Greens and Kale

◦ The easiest way to wash these greens is by filling your clean kitchen sink with water. Place the
greens in the water and swish around, then remove and drain. Let out the water; if there is dirt or
sand in the sink. Rinse it out; then repeat to be sure all the dirt is washed from the leaves.

◦ Break off the woody stems of the leaves and remove large woody midribs.

◦ Place in a large pot in about 1 cup of salted water. Bring to a boil; then lower the heat to a
simmer.

The anti-cancer properties of cruciferous vegetables come from phytochemicals called isothiocyanates, which stimulate our bodies to break down potential carcinogens. Sulforaphane, found in broccoli and in even more concentrated form in broccoli sprouts, is a well-known isothiocyanate. It stimulates the body to produce enzymes that detoxify carcinogens. Among men and women aged 50 to 74 in a study from Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif., participants who ate the most broccoli (average: 3.7 half-cup cooked servings weekly) were only half as likely to develop colorectal cancer as subjects who said they never ate broccoli.

I commonly suggest Thorne's Indole 3 Carbinol as a cancer preventative agent. This supplement is an extract from the cruciferous family, roughly equivalent to eating a half a head of cabbage per day. It's very high quality and has been shown in numerous studies to optomize estrogen metabolism by the liver. (60 caps, $22)

This month's recommended reading:

The Perricone Prescription, by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. This includes terrific information about "anti-aging" eating (as does his new book-Dr. Perricone's Weight Loss Diet). Both worth while reads!!

Yours in Health,

Danielle Vallone, M.S.

COPYRIGHT 2005 MOXXY2, LLC/DANIELLE VALLONE