Raw cruciferous vegetables prevent cancer best....

Today's post: Monday, 11-10-2008

I’ve posted before that I’d read research that found significant cancer protection for eating raw cruciferous vegetables and broccoli & cauliflower in particular.

But, although I had seen separate reports that eating raw cruciferous vegetables proved to prevent cancer or the most dangerous kind of cancer while cooked cruciferous vegetables did not seem to provide much protection, I did not see or missed seeing WHY it was thought that eating RAW cruciferous vegetables WAS protective against cancer.

So, when last Saturday’s short health article in Early to Rise had what very probably is the reason, I decided to include it in today’s post.

That way any of our readers who missed that eating raw cruciferous vegetable works far better to prevent cancer and any readers who may have remained unpersuaded to include eating their cruciferous vegetables raw at least a few times a week would see the info.

Here’s the article from Early to Rise.:

“This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, an e-zine dedicated to making money, improving your health and quality of life. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.”

“For Cancer Protection - Fresh Is Best

By Kelley Herring

While some of us love the taste of broccoli, most of the time it's eaten for its health benefits. But new research suggests that if you cook it, almost all of the cancer-fighting nutrients are lost.

A recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that sulphoraphane - the primary cancer-fighting nutrient in broccoli - is significantly reduced during cooking. In fact, the bioavailability of sulforaphane was calculated to be 37 percent from the raw vegetable and only 3.4 percent from cooked broccoli.

So what option does that leave you with... raw broccoli crudités? On the contrary! There are plenty of delicious ways to enjoy raw broccoli. Make chopped salads with broccoli, buy broccosprouts and add them to your sandwiches, and fold tiny fresh florets into omelets to add delicious crunch and powerful protection.

[Ed. Note: For more advice on the best foods to eat - and those you should avoid - as well as how you can apply the latest health breakthroughs to your own life, sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter…..] You can sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter at its website, http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com . (It also has good health articles every week.)

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Conversely, cooked broccoli may give you better bioavailability for the carotenoids in it than eating it raw. And the same is true for cooked Kale. In addition, eating such nonstarchy, vegetables either cold &/or hot helps keep you trim or to lose excess fat without getting hungry. So, if you like eating any kind of cruciferous vegetable cooked, by all means keep eating it that way.

But also eat some raw cruciferous vegetables a few times a week as well for cancer protection. You’ll get the cancer protection from the raw cruciferous vegetables AND added protection from gaining excess bodyfat by eating both kinds every week.

Also, if you eat diced broccoli florets or broccosprouts ( broccoli sprouts) in an omelet or other cooked dish, to get them raw, be sure to add them after the food is cooked and served into an unheated dish so they remain raw.

Other ways to get raw cruciferous vegetables include adding diced kale or water cress to salads, eating radishes, eating cauliflower florets, and eating coleslaw.

Broccoli and cauliflower may be most effective at preventing cancer. They do seem to be the most tested. But my guess is that the other cruciferous vegetables also work to prevent cancer when eaten raw. By eating other cruciferous vegetables in addition to broccoli or cauliflower, you get more variety, may well get more cancer protection, and definitely get more protection from gaining excess bodyfat.