The Power of Anti-Cancer Foods

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The Power of Anti-Cancer Foods

By BodyEcology.com

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and kale are packed with a very special nutrient called sulforaphane. Keep in mind that many vitamins and phytochemicals, including sulphoraphane, are destroyed in the cooking process. The best way to enjoy your cruciferous veggies? Raw and fermented or lightly steamed to the point where they still have some crunch when bitten into.

Cruciferous vegetables are rich in the organic sulfur compound, sulforaphane.

Cruciferous veggies have been found to protect the vascular system and to eliminate potential carcinogens from the body, thereby reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. The flowers of all cruciferous vegetables resemble a cross, which has Latin roots in the word crux and is where they get their name, cruciferous.

Vegetables in this family are Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, horseradish, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress. This family of bitter greens and roots is quickly becoming the focus of scientists and cancer specialists alike due to the high amounts of glucosinolates that it contains.

Glucosinolates are sulfur-containing compounds that give these veggies their spicy and aromatic flavor.

Chewing or chopping raw cruciferous vegetables activates a class of plant enzymes called myrosinase, which then transforms glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate, into sulforaphane when the plant is damaged. When any member of the Brassica family is boiled or exposed to excessive heat, the amount of glucosinolates is reduced, and heat inactivates myrosinase, as it does to any enzyme. This can diminish the amount of sulforaphane that a vegetable delivers.

It really pays to eat your veggies! Cruciferous vegetables contain an organic sulfur compound that helps the body naturally eliminate cancer-causing carcinogens.

Once again, the good bacteria in our gut save the day, as well as valuable nutrients.

It turns out that even when the plant enzyme myrosinase is completely inactivated by heat, the beneficial microbes in the intestinal tract are able to facilitate the formation and absorption of some sulphoraphane from glucosinolates.

If you have difficultly digesting raw food, try fermenting your cruciferous vegetables.

Not only does fermentation preserve the valuable enzymes found in raw food, such myrosinase, it also pre-digests the food, helping your to body assimilate as many nutrients as possible. In addition, fermentation supports the inner ecosystem of your gut and replenishes the healthy bacteria that live there. Ferment your vegetables today with the Body Ecology Culture Starter.

Sulforaphane is particularly remarkable for a number a reasons:

Sulforaphane specifically protects cellular enzyme activity and induces cancer cell destruction.

Sulforaphane has the ability to target cancer stem cells.

Sulforaphane has been shown to heal the blood-brain barrier.

Scientists at the University of Michigan recently determined that sulforaphane both targets and kills cancer stem cells, while also preventing new malignancies from growing.

They injected sulforaphane into mice with breast cancer and also tested it on human breast cell cultures. In both cases, U-M scientists found that the number of cancers cells dropped dramatically, with little affect on normal cells. The research implies that new avenues of cancer therapy are becoming available as scientists discover ways to target and eliminate cancer stem cells, which would prevent the high incidence of reoccurring cancer. (1)

Within hours of being ingested, sulforaphane enters the bloodstream, where it circulates and triggers an immune response to carcinogens. Sulforaphane activates a set of proteins called phase 2 detoxification enzymes, which are like scavengers on the hunt for cancer-causing molecules that damage DNA and promote cancer. In 1997, Hopkins University found that two pounds of broccoli a week, plentiful in sulforphane, provide enough of this phytonutrient to lower colon cancer risk by half. (2)

You may have heard of a leaky gut. There is also such thing as a leaky brain.

As the story of the gut-brain connection unfolds, we are learning more about the close relationship and similarities between the enteric nervous system (the gut) and the central nervous system (the brain). Just like the intestinal walls in our digestive tract, the blood-brain barrier can become permeable and inflamed, leading certain substances to being where they should not be. (3)

The blood-brain barrier is a semi-permeable network of vessels that allows some substances to get through, while protecting the brain and its environment from other substances, such as toxins and pathogens.

The condition of a leaky brain, or a completely permeable blood-brain barrier, leaves the brain susceptible to inflammatory reactions and is particularly significant in relation to autism spectrum disorders.

Recent studies have shown that sulforaphane keeps the blood-brain barrier intact and promotes its healing. A team of researchers discovered that sulforaphane reduces the loss of tight junction proteins, which are essential for maintaining the structure of the blood-brain barrier. Sulforaphane also reduces the loss of endothelial cells and minimizes permeability of the blood-brain barrier after injury or brain edema.

Recipe for a Sulforaphane Celebration:

Two heads of organic broccoli

1/4 tsp. each of whole cumin and coriander seed

1 tbsp. raw extra-virgin organic coconut oil

Fine Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Chop florets away from stalk and stack into 1/4 inch medallions. Place in steaming basket.

Steam in deep pot with about 1/8 c. of water, 1/3 inch of water from base, over medium-low heat.

Remove from heat when broccoli turns tender and is still bright green.

While broccoli steams, dry roast cumin and coriander seeds in separate small skillet until light golden brown. Grind by hand with mortar and pestle or with an electric spice mill. Set aside.

While still hot, toss steamed broccoli in bowl with coconut oil and spices. Sprinkle lightly with Celtic sea salt.

Both cumin and coriander have been used traditionally as a digestive aid. Because of their antioxidant value, they both have potent cancer-fighting agents. Celtic sea salt is rich in minerals and trace elements.

Broccoli florets should be compact and uniformly green. Varieties with a bluish-green or purple cast are higher in beta-carotene. A bright color means high nutritional yield. If the broccoli has signs of yellowing, this indicates that it is not fresh. Fresh, unwashed broccoli can store in the crisper of the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

WHAT TO REMEMBER MOST ABOUT THIS ARTICLE:

Cruciferous vegetables contain the organic sulfur compound sulforaphane that has the power to flush carcinogens from the body and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Healthy bacteria in the gut make it easier to digest raw vegetables; you can also receive maximum nutritional benefits by enjoying cruciferous vegetables fermented.

The sulfur compound in cruciferous vegetables will trigger the destruction of cancer cells in the body and specifically target cancer stem cells. It has further been proven to heal the blood-brain barrier to reduce the risk of autism

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