Broccoli and health

Every now and then you see (incorrect) posts on social media about how cruciferous veggies are bad for you so I wanted to take a minute to set the record straight. 

Cruciferous veggies belong to the Cruciferae family - though it is now called the Brassicaceae family. It is a huge plant family with over 4,000 individual plant species and cruciferous veggies are nutrient powerhouses and fabulous to include in your regular diet. 

Some of the cruciferous veggies we eat include broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, Bok choy, rocket, cress, cauliflower, horseradish and turnips.  And they are incredibly healthy foods.

Some of the health benefits include reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, inflammation and oxidative stress.  These are big things. Important things.

The brassica family used to be known as the cruciferous family (the botanical name is Brassicaceae). They contain loads of vitamins and minerals as well as important phytonutrients, and while there are differences between the individual plans, key nutrients include indole-3carbinole (I3C) and isothiocyanates. 

Indole-3-carbinole is broken down in digestion to 3,3′-Diindolylmethane (DIM), and this is one of the key nutrients in the brassica family. DIM is being researched for a range of benefits and some evidence already exists for protecting cells from DNA damage and cancerous changes, as an antioxidant an anti-inflammatory as well as anti-atherogenic (reduces plaques in atherosclerosis).

The isothiocyanates are responsible for the sulphur smell if you over cook your brassica and are important for liver detoxification, protection against free radicals and inhibition of tumour cells.

But don't brassica food block your thyroid?

You might sometimes read that brassica are bad for your thyroid but that is not quite accurate. 

TLDR: Yes, they can block or reduce iodine absorption - if - you're already deficient in iodine - and - if you only have raw veggies that you don't cut, chew, cook, ferment or digest properly - and - if you have impossible amounts of raw cruciferous veggies. So cut, cook or ferment, and chew your veggies and if you have a reasonable gut function, you're fine!

The long version

The release of the isothiocynates from their bound form requires contact with an enzyme also in the plant called myrosinase, and this happens when you chop, cook and chew the food.  And if you ate a bunch raw, then there is a little myrosinase in our colon, so it can help out too.  Note, boiling inactivates the myrosinase so avoid boiling!

When the bound isothiocynate is released, thiocyanate is also released and this competes with iodine for absorption by the thyroid gland – finally, I loop back to the thyroid!  However, the impact of thiocyanate blocking iodine seems to only be an issue if you are already iodine deficient.

The other factor that may affect your thyroid is progoitrin which may breakdown into  goitrin, and this can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis.  In the average dietary intake this is not likely to be an issue, but if your having 2 bunches of raw kale a day, it might be something to look into.

This family of veggies is so important for good health please don’t avoid them because someone posted that you'll develop a goitre if you eat them.  Eat them up, lightly steamed or stir-fried, or occasionally raw or bake.  If you wish, you can add some nori, wakame, kombu or seaweed salad to boost your iodine intake.  And chew your food!

Brassica plant foods and the part of the plant we eat

• Roots – rutabaga, turnip, daikon, radish
• Stems – kohlrabi, broccolini (rapini)
• Leaves – cabbage, collard greens, kale, tatsoi, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, mizuna, watercress
• Flowers – cauliflower, broccoli
• Buds – Brussels sprouts, cabbage
• Seeds – mustard seed, rapeseed oil

Some fabulous brassica family examples

Here are some of the brassica veges and I have links to some sample recipes, which is also a great way to explore some of these wonderful blogs and websites.

Bok choy: Bok choy and other Asian greens are easy to grow, versatile and rich in folate, fibre, antioxidants, vitamins A,C and K.  Cook them lightly in a stiry-fry or soup, sauteed them or have fresh in a salad.

Broccoli and broccolini: Rich in sulforophane, which is of interest to cancer researchers, broccoli is also rich in vitamins A, C and K as well s fibre, potassium and other nutrients. This recipe has the ingredient of purple-sprouting broccoli but in Australia it would be easiest to use broccolini.

Brussels sprouts: Poor ol’ Brussels sprouts, people say the meanest things!  I believe one reason people don’t like Brussels sprouts is because they’ve only eaten over-cooked sprouts, which are heavy and bitter.  They are truly the msot fabulously healthy powerhouse vegetable, versatile and packed with antioxidants and nutrients.  Try them shredded in salads, roasted, steamed or stiry-fried.

Cabbage: There are many varieties of cabbage, and they can be eaten raw, fermented or cooked. Cabbages are an unsung superfood (but then so are all the brassica!); they have 20 different flavonoids and 15 different phenols and they are rich in Vitakins K, C, B6 and folate, as well as manganese, fibre and copper. Chinese cabbage has a longer, more elongated shape and the leaves are softer and wrinklier and pale green than Savoy or other cabbages.  It is used in salads, stir-fries and of course, it is essential in delicious Korean kimchi.

Cauliflower: Nutritious and versatile, cauliflower is a great kitchen staple, but like Brussels sprouts, don’t overcook it or you will get soggy, sad cauli.

Collard Greens: These dark green veggies are popular in the US and if you can’t find them in Australia you can use large, thicker kale leaves. Collard greens are rich in fibre, vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium. 

Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi is known as German turnip and it is a green, cream and purple stem.  It tastes a little like a milder, sweeter version of broccoli stems.  Young kohlrabi is crisp and juicy and can be used in salads or cooked.

Mizuna: Similar to rocket, Mizuna has feathery, bright-green leaves with deeply indented edges but is a little less peppery and a little more mustard tasting.

Radish: This vege is easy to grow and can be ready to harvest in as little as 4 weeks, making it it a perfect vege for children grow and harvest.  Radishes can be round or elongated, colours include white, purple, red or black and the juicy crisp bites can be sweet or pungent.  You can eat them raw, cooked or pickled. Daikon is a mild winter radish, daikon looks like an over-sized white carrot.  Popular in Asian cuisine it is the star of kimchi and salads. 

Tatsoi: Grows in beautiful rosettes and has deep green spoon shaped leaves with a rich, very mild mustard flavour. Young leaves can be eaten fresh in salads or when older add to soups or stir-fries.  Easy and quick to grow, one for the home garden. 

Wasabi: Japanese horseradish which most people would recognise as the pungent green paste eaten with sushi, although that is likely a mix of wasabi, horseradish, mustard and maybe some green food dye.  Fresh wasabi is still pungent but it is sweeter and more rounded than horseradish.

Watercress

Dark green, fleshy leaves with a peppery taste watercress is high in vitamin K, calcium, magnesium and potassium as well as vitamins A and C

So, eat your vegetables and ignore fear-mongering social media posts.