Cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They also contain indole-3- carbinol (I3C) and other important natural phyto-chemicals. These elements change the way estrogen is metabolized and may prevent estrogen-driven cancers. They also provide tremendous support to the liver for detoxification. Chopping or chewing cruciferous vegetables results in the formation of these bioactive products. Eating these vegetables either raw, lightly sautéed, quickly stir-fried, or steamed is best to retain the full array of nutrients. But the most important thing is to eat more of them!
Our favorite cruciferous vegetables
There are many to choose from, so if you’re choosing these wonderfully nutritious vegetables as a regular part of your diet, be sure to keep up the variety. If you wish to experiment with them raw, try juicing, fresh salads, marinated salads, and adding sprouts or greens to your sandwiches. If you’re cooking them, try steaming, sautéing, stir-frying, and roasting. In all cases, try to avoid microwaving vegetables in plastic bags, as the process may destroy more nutrients in foods and can transfer harmful compounds from the plastic. Try some of our cruciferous vegetables recipes here!
- arugula
- bok choy
- broccoflower
- broccoli, greens and sprouts
- brussels sprout
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- chinese broccoli (kai-lan)
- chinese cabbage
- collard greens
- daikon
- flowering cabbage
- garden cress
- horseradish
- kale (green, red, lacinto, etc)
- kohlrabi
- komatsuna
- mizuna
- mustard cabbage
- mustard seeds
- black mustard seeds
- brown mustard seeds
- greens mustard seeds
- napa cabbage
- radish, greens and sprouts
- rapini (broccoli rabe)
- real wasabi
- rutabaga
- siberian kale
- tatsoi
- turnip root
- greens watercress
