Cruciferous Vegetables

Foods such as cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, broccoli rabe, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, arugula, and mustard greens belong to the cruciferous family. Cruciferous vegetables are like the most charismatic of people—those individuals who have sparkling personalities and who also bring out the best in their companions. That’s because in addition to the amazing properties of crucifers you’ll read about below, they also have the undiscovered miracle ability to ignite hidden cleansing and healing abilities in other foods when eaten in certain combinations. (See Tips for details.) This group of foods has gotten negative attention lately due to misinformation. If you’ve heard that these foods are “goitrogenic” and therefore bad for the thyroid, rest assured—this couldn’t be further from the truth. (For more on this, see the chapter “Harmful Health Fads and Trends.”) Cruciferous vegetables are a thyroid’s best friend—they pull out radiation from the thyroid that’s gotten there from dental and medical exposure. They also protect against the viral explosion that’s behind so much of thyroid disease. Crucifers help stave off a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, reproductive cancers (such as ovarian, uterine, and cervical), brain cancer, intestinal cancers, and lung cancer. They’re especially good for lung health; because of their sulfur-rich nature, every single vegetable in this family restores and stimulates the growth of lung tissue. Sulfur is one of the only minerals that branches out into other forms of itself—a chemical process that science has discovered at a surface level and has yet to tap into in its full meaning. Cruciferous vegetables contain two types of sulfur, one in macromineral form and the other as an accompanying micro-sulfur trace mineral. Together as a phytochemical compound, they permeate lung tissue to help stimulate growth, regeneration, and healing, and they also restore and recover lung scar tissue. Crucifers are also rich in vitamins such as B vitamins and A, C, E, and K. Let’s take a closer look at some of the individual crucifers: Red cabbage: The coloring agents that give this crucifer its red-purple hue are at the top of the heap when it comes to diseasefighting pigments. The sulfur in the cabbage carries the phytochemicals from these pigments into the liver with great ease, making red cabbage one of the most rejuvenating foods for the liver. In fact, red cabbage can help retard and reverse scar tissue in the liver. Kale: When connective tissue is under attack by a virus, inflamed, highly sensitive, and/or weak, it is one of the fastest paths to chronic illness. For the person dealing with connective tissue damage, aches and pains, or inflammation of the joints, kale is a secret weapon, providing a double whammy: while its anti-inflammatory compounds help destroy viruses, its bioavailable phytochemicals help stimulate cell growth and the production of healthy, new connective tissue. Collard greens: These possess nutrients in the stems that hold antibacterial properties. Steaming collard greens or adding them to a soup draws out their medicinal properties so that when you consume them, their nutrients travel through your body and act as an antibiotic. (If Grandma’s chicken soup were made with collard greens, it truly would be an antibiotic.) Cauliflower: This crucifer contains the trace mineral boron, which is also known to help the endocrine system—and yet cauliflower gets more attention for the so-called goitrogens it contains. Cauliflower does the very opposite of what the hype says—it helps the thyroid and the rest of the endocrine system (including the hypothalamus and adrenal glands) to stave off the viruses that are truly behind issues such as thyroiditis. Cauliflower has a unique ability to be easily digested in its raw state, which is ideal, because eating it raw gives you the best chance at easily assimilating and using the full potential of what it has to offer. Broccoli: When you were a kid and your parents told you to eat your broccoli, they were right. Broccoli is an all-purpose multivitamin for the body, plus it contains bioavailable trace minerals and other nutrients that enhance all body systems, including the entire immune system. Nature made broccoli in this way, with a balance that can’t be matched, to offer a little something for every organ, gland, bone, nerve, and more in the body. Brussels sprouts and green cabbage: Green cabbage is very nutritious, wonderful for supporting the joints and reversing osteoporosis. If you enjoy this vegetable, it’s definitely worth eating. If you’re looking for maximum nutrient density, though, go with brussels sprouts—they have 10 times the nutrition found in green cabbage. Brussels sprouts take the joint factor to the next level, plus they help balance cholesterol, purify the liver and other dense sponge organs such as the spleen, and purify the blood. You can read more about broccoli and cauliflower. Read more about cruciferous greens (including kale, collards, broccoli greens, arugula, brussels sprouts, and cabbage). Read more about radishes and radish greens.