My ADA

Eat Your Broccoli

January 26, 2005

Broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts: what do they have in common? They’re all cruciferous vegetables that begin with the letter b!

Cruciferous vegetables (named for their tiny cross-forming flower petals) belong to the cabbage family. The family portrait includes everything from arugula to watercress—with cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rutabaga, Swiss chard and turnips in between.

Why so healthful? First their nutrients: beta carotene (which forms vitamin A), vitamin C and varying amounts of calcium, iron and folate. Second, cruciferous vegetables have a unique phytonutrient array that includes cancer-fighting indoles and isothiocyanates and fiber.

Source: 365 Days of Healthy Eating from the American Dietetic Association (Wiley 2004), Roberta Larson Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS