Cruciferous fractals.
Just a quick post here, a reminder to eat your cruciferous vegetables. Dr. Rhonda Patrick presents convincing evidence (in the video below) that eating at least three servings a week significantly reduces risk of of death from cancer and heart disease.
I mentioned cruciferous vegetables in this cancer prevention post, but watching Ms. Patrick’s video convinced me to bump them higher in the list and add a bunch of these veggies to the perma-shopping-list in Evernote.
Apparently eating cruciferous vegetables raw or lightly cooked is important in order to obtain the phytochemical benefits; excessive heat destroys sulforaphane and other health-promoting chemicals. Broccoli sprouts are the champs in terms of sulforaphane, but there is strong evidence for the health benefits of consuming the more palatable members of this vegetable family as well. That’s good, because I’m not going to grow or eat broccoli sprouts. Nor am I going to put anything with leaves in a blender. IMO one should not drink leaves, even if they bestow immortality. But I’m more than willing to eat one of more veggies from the following list everyday:
- arugula
- bok choy
- broccoli
- broccoli sprouts
- Brussel sprouts
- cabbage
- cauliflower
- collard greens
- daikon
- kale
- kohlrabi
- mustard greens
- radish
- rapini
- Romanesco broccoli
- turnip
- wasabi
- watercress
What about the supposed risks of thyroid suppression from excessive goitrogens in cruciferous vegetables? Overrated, according to Dr. Patrick. But if you currently have thyroid issues and want to be on the safe side, even light steaming will inactivate goitrogens.
Are there other risks to eating huge amounts of cruciferous veggies? There is some evidence that kale, cabbage, and other members of this family are hyperaccumulators of thallium and other toxic metals. That’s one reason you won’t find me jamming heads of raw kale into a megablender and guzzling down green sludge. But one or more a day from the above list, in a salad or as a side? Sure, why not. Watch the video and decide for yourself.
In personal news, I got my cast off and my foot is healing nicely. I can stand on it with no pain. Walking begins no sooner than next week (doctor’s orders). Can’t wait. I will never take full mobility for granted again!
Good health to you! But fill that glass with red wine, not green sludge.
Gilles
Make and eat your own sauerkraut! It is so simple and delicious!
http://www.wildfermentation.com/
All the best,
Gilles
J.D. Moyer
We were making it for awhile, might get back into it!
Fabian
Okay, I’m intrigued: What’s your main case against green smoothies? Not that I’m a fan, but “IMO one should not drink leaves, even if they bestow immortality” makes me wonder why?
J.D. Moyer
Just my own personal yuck factor. If you enjoy putting a few leaves in your smoothy I’m sure it won’t hurt you. There are reasons to avoid huge amounts of raw greens (oxalate, which might increase risk of kidney stones), and the potential for heavy metal accumulation is another reason to not go hog-wild. But mostly I was just joking around. 😉
ross
“But it does make me wary of downing brassicas daily at great quantities over extended periods, the way some people may be doing as part of the juice craze.”
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/07/kale-silent-killer
J.D. Moyer
The article linked in my post was the same one the Mother Jones article referenced (re: potential risks for thallium accumulation). At this point it’s a pretty weak association, and nobody has any idea where the thallium is coming from, or even if it’s directly causing health problems.
Here’s the follow-up article in craftsmanship.net. Still no definitive answers, but an interesting read:
https://craftsmanship.net/the-vegetable-detective-take-two/
This site has a good essay on thallium in vegetables:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=hottopic&dbid=8