Cruciferous veg.

[suze]

In Foods To Fight Cancer Prof Beliveau and Dr Gingas have 11 chapters on foods they call nutraceuticals: foods which are specifically good at targetting cancer.

I'm going to do a little thread on each one which sums up the value of the particular food or food group and then where we can add our own comments or recipes etc for each one.

[suze]

Cruciferous Veg family

Virtually a miracle in terms of top of the pile of funky veg- to fight cancer … and top of the whole family are Brussel Sprouts and broccoli!

The whole cruciferous family:

Brussel Sprouts
Spring Greens
Kale
Watercress
Turnip
White / red cabbage
Broccoli
Cauli
bok choy
pai tsai (Chinese leaves)
Yellow rocket
Radish

Summary(page 77)
1. These veg contain impt quantities of many anti-cancer compounds that slow the development of cancer by preventing carcinogenic substances from causing damage to cells.

2. Broccoli and sprouts are exceptional sources and should be eaten regularly.

3. Cruciferous veg should be eaten raw or only lightly cooked and thorough chewed to maximise their anti-cancer potential.

[suze]

This article (clicky) is quite a good intro to the science, if you're interested. Reporting recent work from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Their research was esp. related to breast cancer.

I'm not tooooo keen on the site, generally, cos it's primary role it to sell us supplements, and slag off oncologists, and medicine in general .... but if you can ignore that then the article is quite good!

The new study focuses on the anti-cancer activity of one of these isothiocyanates dubbed sulforaphane, or SFN. "It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumors in animals. It inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death," Azarenko stated in the press release.

Azarenko discovered SFN inhibits the proliferation of human tumor cells in much the same way anticancer drugs taxol and vincristine do. However, SFN is much less toxic than the currently used drugs.

[suze]

I've been finding that most veggie curries can absorb a little bit of cabbage in the mix, you hardly notice it and it easily increases my cabbage intake to slide it into another dish ... but beware not to overcook add at the end and warm rather than boil into the sauce

I find with my poor little gut it is not clever to eat as much raw cabbage as the doctors advocate, so it's a compromise, to gently cook it, even if the active ingredients are less effective, I suppose!

[anne]

I've been adding blanched broccoli to salads. Very nearly bought some brussel sprouts the other day - I think I may feel more encouraged to eat them if I could pick them up with my fingers, which would make the experience feel slightly naughty and therefore nicer

Cabbage mashed up with onion and potato is lovely - we called it Rumbledeythumps(sp??) - unfortunately it also uses lots of butter, but I suppose that isn't strictly necessary.

[suze]

Cauliflower recipe.

Clicky, it's for a cauli and date tagine, with a pilaf ...

[Mark]

Cauliflower cheese?
That's quite healthy if you leave out the cheese.

[Mark]

Back to work tomorrow, so need to start resetting my body clock.

Luckily these healthy veg are some of the tastiest. Except cabbage, unless it's in coleslaw.

[suze]

Yes, I am learning to love cabbage .. not easy ..

broccoli is very good though, and I love it with a bit if a soy/ginger type dressing which is all anti-cancer stuff!

[suze]

Broccoli & MustardRaw broccoli is a good source of the powerful cancer-fighting compound sulforaphane. But cooking destroys the enzyme (myrosinase) in broccoli that makes sulforaphane available to your body. The fix? Combine broccoli with mustard (yes, the condiment) or another raw cruciferous veggie, such as wasabi or arugula—the extra dose of myrosinase will help you absorb more sulforaphane, according to a 2011 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

I cannot stomach raw broccili these days .. so maybe I ought to try this !

[suze]

Been enjoying red cabbage the past two weeks, slowly cooked with a bit of apple and raisins and not much fluid, wine viengar / water ... good winter fare