Don’t forget to eat your vegetables May 3, 2011
So you don’t like Broccoli, well maybe this will help it go down a little easier. Broccoli is a ubiquitous vegetable that is part of a family of vegetables that is a veritable goldmine when it comes to cancer prevention.
Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, which is part of the cabbage family. Cruciferous veggies get their name from their plants’ four-petal flowers, which look like a cross (crucifix).
There is a ton of evidence and it is overwhelming that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps prevent cancer. Cruciferous vegetables in particular are a rich source of sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates, which break down during digestion. Glucosinolates help eliminate carcinogens before they can damage DNA or change the cell-signaling pathways that prevent the transformation of normal cells into cancer.
This metabolic byproduct may also help regulate our body’s complex system of cancer defense enzymes. There’s even evidence that glucosinolates alter the metabolism or actions of hormones to inhibit the development of hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast cancer.
Glucosinolates break down into several compounds, including isothiocyanates. Isothiocyanates offset the harmful effects of the carcinogens produced when we process or cook meat, which is a major cause of colon cancer. Eating about four one-half cup servings of cruciferous vegetables each week may reduce your risk of colon cancer by 20 to 50 percent.
Cruciferous vegetables are also rich in other critical nutrients, including calcium, iron, folate, and fiber.
So if you don’t like the taste of Broccoli try Colon Complete by FutureBiotics. It is the complete colon care supplement it provides an all natural source of soluble dietary fiber, combined with beneficial components such as fruits and vegetables that help protect your colon.
