A few years ago a patient came into my office complaining of migraines. He said, “Maybe you'll think I’m crazy, doc, but I only get these headaches when I eat certain vegetables.” Which ones? He wasn't sure. Salads gave him a headache only sometimes, and usually only in restaurants. Cole slaw gave him a headache no matter where he ate it. The list seemed completely random, though it included Brussels sprouts, watercress, broccoli, and radishes. I grinned like an amateur holding a royal flush. The patient was naming only cruciferous vegetables. 

Many common vegetables belong to the cabbage family in the plant genus Brassica. Edible plants in this family are called cruciferous vegetables, or crucifers, so named because their four-petaled flowers look like a crucifer, or cross. The importance of this family of crops for food cannot be overstated. Some cruciferous veggies include arugula (or rocket), bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, collard and mustard greens, daikon radish, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, radish, rapini (broccoli rabi), rutabaga, turnip, wasabi, and watercress. 

 

The Triangle of U theorizes that all the modern-day cruciferous vegetables evolved from three different ancestral plants that combined, in various configurations, to create many of the common vegetables known today. The wide variety of cruciferous veggies available today was also probably influenced by gardeners who, through the ages, selectively bred those plants that exhibited appealing characteristics. That is why some, like kale, are grown for their leaves, whereas others, like kohlrabi, are grown for their (swollen) stems, and others, like broccoli and cauliflower, for their buds.

 

Arugula’s unmistakably appealing and spicy flavor makes it a great addition to mixed salad greens in restaurants. A few years ago it seeded itself in my garden, and I loved it so much that, for a few glorious weeks, I headed straight for the garden after work every day to grab a few handfuls and stuff them into my mouth before entering the house.

 

Luckily, except for the patient whose unusual story I’ve shared above, most of us get to enjoy cruciferous veggies without suffering any negative consequences. Their versatility makes them a great addition to stir-fries, salads, soups and stews. Not only do they taste great alone, but their strong flavors also stand up against lots of distinctive spices, herbs, and garnishes. The sweet, spicy crunch of a pure, translucent slice of radish or kohlrabi is like nothing else.

Last year I found this fantastic sauce for chicken or salmon. First you layer the meat or fish over a thick bed of chopped, rinsed bok choy and cabbage. Then mix 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar with a tablespoon of honey; one teaspoon each of garlic and ginger chopped fine; one teaspoon of olive oil; one small tomato; and a few shakes each of salt and pepper. Spin together the ingredients in a blender, pour the sauce all over everything, and bake it at 350 until done. Cook approx. 30 min for salmon, or 1 hr for chicken, depending on the amount. Cover the pan loosely with tin foil about halfway through. 

 

Or you could break apart a head of cauliflower and place it in a deep pan with ¼ cup water and 2 T olive oil. Add any combination of toasted sesame seed oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, cumin, coriander, anise or chili pepper, and cook on medium high heat for about 10 minutes. All of these additions have strong, distinctive flavors that taste great with cruciferous vegetables. Or you could grate some cheddar cheese over the cauliflower and cover the pot for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Or you could slice Brussels sprouts in half, spread them on a baking sheet with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and cook on high heat at 450 until the outer leaves begin to brown and caramelize. Just a few weeks ago, a 20-year-old told me that the Brussels sprouts we served that way were one of the most delicious things he'd ever eaten. No lie.

 

I am not a fan of ‘nutritionism,’ the widely shared but largely unexamined assumption that it is the scientifically identified nutrients in a food that determine its value in the diet. Nevertheless, for those who are interested, cruciferous vegetables contain lots of soluble and insoluble fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B9 (folate), potassium, selenium, and numerous phytochemicals. Cruciferous vegetables are also rich sources of sulfur-containing, cancer-fighting compounds known as glucosinolates. It is purely a guess, but I am going to conjecture that those sulfur-containing compounds were responsible for my patient’s headaches. 

 

The scientific literature provides evidence linking the eating of a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables to decreased rates of a variety of cancers, including breast, pancreatic, lung, bladder, prostate, and colon cancer. Possible mechanisms of action include the presence in crucifers of several enzymes that protect cell DNA from damage, protect against oxidation of microsomes (a cell organelle), and counteract the cancer-causing properties of products of incomplete combustion like nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Researchers at Oregon State University found that sulforaphane – a compound found in high levels in broccoli, broccoli sprouts (sold next to the alfalfa sprouts), bok choy, and brussels sprouts – may play a major role in preventing prostate and colon cancer. 

 

So think about eating more broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables. It can’t hurt, and it might help. And they taste so good. As Michael Pollan says, “There's something terribly wrong when it's cheaper to buy a double cheeseburger than a head of broccoli." Don’t let a fresh head of broccoli go to waste.

Follow Dr Sukol's posts on Twitter @RoxanneSukolMD and on Facebook at Roxanne Breines Sukol or Your Health is on Your Plate.

On this Mother’s Day, I am thinking about a few important bits of wisdom that were imparted to me in my childhood.  

If you've never visited "Your Health is on Your Plate" before, visit Lets Start at the Very Beginning to get a jumpstart protecting the health and well-being of the ones you love!! Then check out "A Milestone Celebration -- Your Favorite Posts" and "The Most Popular Blog Posts of All" for more great ideas and recipes! Wondering why I capitalize the "f" in Food? See Food with a Capital F.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

Go play outside.

Use your vegetable cooking water to start a soup.

Eat your vegetables. 

Go get some fresh air.

Just try it.

Let’s go down to the garden. 

Put as many colors on your plate as you can.

No, you may not have soda.

It’s time to get ready for bed.

And I would not want to miss a chance to share a recipe!  Here’s a peak at today’s not-so-early-morning breakfast:

Mix together:

6-8 roasted almonds

2 tsp. raw cashews

2 tsp. raisins

1 /2 banana, thinly sliced

Sprinkle with:

1 tsp. coconut flakes (unsweetened)

Pour in:

1 /2 cup coconut milk

...and, one more rule...Eat slowly.  

If you substitute dry bananas, this works great for taking to work.  Pour the milk into a thermos, and put all the dry ingredients into the cap.  

Happy Mother’s Day!

Cabbage has a tendency to seem kind of boring, but I think it's just the name that's so blah. The truth is that it is a fabulous and nutritious vegetable with strong and complex flavors. You can develop those flavors by braising it in a hot frying pan with a little olive oil, for example, the simplest possible way to bring out its complex sweetness and deliciousness. << MORE >>

When I think about being healthy, I think about three intersecting spheres. They are 1) eating patterns (notice I did not call it a diet), 2) activity patterns (not exercise), and 3) rest and relaxation. Not only is each of these essential on its own, but each also affects the others, such as when, to our collective benefit, we eat homegrown tomatoes in the fall after having potted a few tomato plants back in the spring, or we sleep better after having gone for a long hike. Or when, like a pile of puppies, we all lie around on the couch after Thanksgiving dinner.<< MORE >>

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Here's what I had for breakfast this morning. Into my lovely Vitamix, I placed: 8 almonds 2 pitted dates 2 tbsp cocoa powder<< MORE >>

Most people say that a lack of time is the main obstacle to preparing something whole and nutritious to eat. This gets even more complicated when you are at work or on the road. We’re always trying to whittle down the amount of time we need to make meals, while at the same time keeping it real. So if you regularly find yourself in an office or a lunch room or a hotel room that has a microwave oven, I’ve come up with a few unusual and creative meal ideas for when you are away from home. Transportation security will not stop you for traveling with quinoa or sweet potatoes or a spork. << MORE >>

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This soup is an inspiration. It was invented by a co-worker who was generous enough to share it with YHIOYP. It is most unusual, and we are very lucky to have the recipe.<< MORE >>

I found an amazing and unusual recipe on the Blendtec website last week. I would never have thought of a peanut butter and jelly smoothie. It would make a great snack, a great breakfast, a great treat, and even a great dessert.<< MORE >>

A couple of years ago, while standing on line in a grocery store, I saw the man in front of me place a huge sack of dried mung beans on the belt. The thick, white bean sprouts seen on salads in restaurants, salad bars, and so on are grown from mung beans. I had never before seen so many mung beans in one place. You can make a big jarful with 2 tablespoons. “What are you going to do with all those mung beans?” I asked. He said he had seven kids. Oh.<< MORE >>

Simple, yet elegant.<< MORE >>

In his book Carrots and Sticks: Unlock the Power of Incentives to Get Things Done, Ian Ayres, a contracts professor at Yale Law School, writes about an interesting insight that he had regarding his own weight loss efforts. After numerous but only temporarily successful efforts, he finally had a realization. He knew, unfortunately, how to eat in a way that kept his weight around 210 or so (I can’t remember the exact number). He also knew how to eat in a way that brought his weight down to around 170 (or so), although he couldn’t sustain it for more than a few months. But he didn’t know how to eat for 190 pounds. << MORE >>

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A few mornings a week, I fry myself an egg for breakfast. Just one perfect egg, or, at least, my attempt at it. I have been practicing for a long while, and it’s definitely coming along. It doesn’t stick to the pan anymore. I almost never break the yolk. I’ve finally gotten the timing right. I don’t like runny yolks, but I don’t want a dry, overcooked, hard yolk either. Perfection, to me, is a warm yolk, still wet and shiny, but just beginning to thicken. The white has to be cooked through -- not negotiable. It’s been this way as long as I can remember.<< MORE >>

Arugula is quite possibly my favorite food. For sure it's my favorite green food. I can't get enough, and I can't wait for it to start to grow in the garden. Also, I love beets, so this salad was a natural for me. Nutrition-wise, this dish truly has everything. The dressing is absolutely scrumptious. Here's the recipe for you to think about tonight while it's snowing outside (again) in Cleveland on the first day of spring. << MORE >>

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I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to eat hummus, also known as garbanzo beans or chickpeas. Here's a great onion version. Really good. You can serve it as an appetizer at a party in a big, scooped out, sweet Vidalia onion sitting in a bed of greens. << MORE >>

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Okay, here's the deal. I've been up and out of the house every day this week by 6:30, and I haven't arrived home even once before 10 p.m. But, lucky for me, the refrigerator has a few goodies, including almond milk, berries and spinach, and so here is what I'm going to make for breakfast tomorrow morning. The freezer in my house usually has a few overripe bananas -- that's where I put them when they turn too dark to eat. Remember to peel them before you freeze them; it makes it easier when you feel like a smoothie.<< MORE >>

I ran into an old friend yesterday and enjoyed hearing stories about her two young children, Mallory and Mikey. Once upon a time, she babysat for my young children; now she has babies of her own. She talked about their struggles trying to get Mikey’s eczema under control. I thought it would make an interesting topic for a blog post, and she agreed.<< MORE >>

was stunned to learn, the other night, that when my friend Beth wants popcorn she drops a couple of handfuls into a brown paper sandwich bag, adds about half a teaspoon of olive oil, and puts it into the microwave for a minute. Voila! Microwave popcorn! She is so smart.<< MORE >>

Take a moment and visualize what’s in your refrigerator. If you’re like me, nobody had time to go grocery shopping this week, and the box of vegetables that arrived Monday is just about gone. But it’s too late now. It’s late Friday afternoon, and dinner should have been in the oven a few minutes ago. There are a bunch of green peppers on the bottom shelf in the back. And the counters have a few jars of grains, dried peas, beans, and even some raisins that I made by popping some tired-looking grapes into the dehydrator earlier in the week. << MORE >>