leafy vegetables Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Does Stir-Frying Destroy the Cancer-Fighting Properties of Cruciferous Vegetables?

The AHA! Team — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 08:15:04 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – Glucosinolates may not be a word that rolls easily off the tongue. But, the presence of these natural phytochemicals is what makes cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts and broccoli such cancer-fighting nutritional superstars. Glucosinolates may not be a word that rolls easily off the tongue. But, the presence of these natural phytochemicals is what makes cruciferous vegetables like Brussels sprouts and broccoli such cancer-fighting nutritional superstars. While stir-frying is a popular preparation method, there is concern over whether this cooking method can deplete disease-fighting compounds. In one study, researchers set out to discover whether glucosinolates in two different cruciferous vegetables could survive stir-frying with their beneficial qualities intact. The results were surprising! Stir-frying beats both boiling and deep-frying for preserving glucosinolates To conduct the study published in Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, researchers prepared red cabbage and pakchoi (also known as bok choy) by cutting off the stems and chopping the leaves into 1 to 2-centimeter strips. They then stir-fried them – using pan temperatures ranging from 160 to 250 degrees Celsius and cooking times ranging from one to eight minutes. They found that stir-frying the vegetables, even at the highest temperatures and longest duration, did not deplete them of their glucosinolates – including glucobrassicanapin, the most abundant form. The team reported that stir-frying inactivated myrosinase (a substance that breaks down glucosinolates), thereby helping to prevent their release and loss. While stir-frying left the phytochemicals intact, the researchers noted that earlier studies had shown that cooking cruciferous vegetables in water (by boiling) led to the leaching out and loss of water-soluble glucosinolates. The team also cited an earlier study that showed that deep frying caused cruciferous vegetables to lose up to 84 percent of their glucosinolates. The takeaway: Unlike boiling and deep frying, stir-frying will not cause a loss of beneficial glucosinolates. Glucosinolates fight cancer through a multitude of actions Red cabbage and bok choy belong to the Brassica family of vegetables, including broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, arugula, cauliflower, watercress, and mustard greens. All Brassica vegetables are rich in sulfur-containing glucosinolates – which break down into biologically active isothiocyanates, including sulforaphane (more about sulforaphane’s amazing abilities later). Isothiocyanates from glucosinolates have been found to protect cell DNA against potentially cancer-causing mutations and to cause apoptosis – or programmed cell death – in cancer cells. In addition, they detoxify and neutralize carcinogens in the body while inhibiting angiogenesis – the cancer-promoting growth of blood vessels that nourish tumors. And that’s not all – the “skill set” of glucosinolates also includes the ability to reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar, support cardiovascular health, and promote weight loss. Extensive studies support the anti-carcinogenic capabilities of cruciferous vegetables In a study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, researchers found that broccoli and watercress suppressed the production of cancer-promoting enzymes known as matrix metalloproteinases, thereby limiting the invasiveness of breast cancer cells. Additional research published in Integrative Cancer Therapies confirmed that glucosinolates can protect against harmful reactive oxygen species. Epidemiological studies have shown that consuming Brassica vegetables can lower cancer risk. One analysis used the Nurses’ Health Study data to demonstrate that women who ate more than five servings of cruciferous vegetables a week lowered their risk of lung cancer. In a review of 94 studies published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, researchers reported that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables was linked to a lower risk of cancer – particularly lung, stomach, colon, and rectum cancers. Great NEWS: Broccoli sprouts provide LOTS of cancer-fighting sulforaphane One type of isothiocyanate – sulforaphane – is impressing researchers with its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and anticancer properties. Regarding sulforaphane content, broccoli sprouts tower over all other cruciferous vegetables, including fully-grown broccoli. (Studies have shown that 5- to 6-day-old broccoli sprouts contain over 100 times more of this cancer-fighting phytochemical than mature plants). Studies have supported sulforaphane’s ability to combat cancers of the breast, prostate, bladder, ovaries, liver, colon, and lungs. Amazingly, sulforaphane appears capable of “switching on” the genes that produce beneficial detoxification and antioxidant enzymes. Sulforaphane can sharply boost the production of glutathione – the body’s “master” antioxidant and an important cancer-fighting enzyme in its own right. A study conducted at the University of California at Santa Barbara found that sulforaphane inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells, causing researchers to praise it as a “promising” protective agent against breast cancer. Finally, an additional study conducted at Johns Hopkins University supported the ability of sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts to inhibit the growth of four different types of human breast cancer cells – a truly encouraging result. No doubt: the beneficial effects of glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables are far too important to ignore. Consuming healthy amounts of these veggies – whether raw or stir-fried – should constitute a significant part of any cancer-preventive program. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Springer.com NIH.gov NIH.gov To read the original article click here.

The post Does Stir-Frying Destroy the Cancer-Fighting Properties of Cruciferous Vegetables? appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Healthiest of Healthy Foods

AHA Publisher — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 07:00:29 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – In my book How Not to Die, I center my recommendations around a Daily Dozen checklist of everything I try to fit into my daily routine. In my book How Not to Die, I suggest we try to center our diets around whole plant foods. Some plants are healthier than others, though. Apparently, you can live for extended periods eating practically nothing but white potatoes, for example, and, by definition, that would be a whole food, plant-based diet—but not a very healthy one. All plant foods are not created equal. The more I’ve researched over the years, the more I’ve come to realize that healthy foods are not necessarily interchangeable. Some foods and food groups have special nutrients not found in abundance elsewhere. For example, sulforaphane, the amazing liver-enzyme detox-boosting compound, is derived nearly exclusively from cruciferous vegetables. You could eat tons of other kinds of greens and vegetables on a given day and get no appreciable sulforaphane if you didn’t eat something cruciferous. Same with flaxseeds and the anticancer lignan compounds: Flax may average a hundred times more lignans than other foods. And mushrooms? Well, mushrooms aren’t even plants. They belong to an entirely different biological classification and contain some nutrients like ergothioneine that may not be made anywhere in the plant kingdom. So, technically, maybe I should be referring to a whole food, plant- and fungus-based diet…but that sounds a little gross. It seems like every time I come home from the medical library buzzing with some exciting new data, my family rolls their eyes, sighs, and asks, What can’t we eat now? Or they’ll say, Wait a second. Why does everything seem to have parsley in it all of a sudden? They’re very tolerant! As the list of foods I tried to fit into my daily diet grew, I made a checklist and put it up on a little dry-erase board on the fridge, and we made a game out of ticking off the boxes. This evolved into my Daily Dozen, the checklist of everything I try to fit into my daily routine. In my video Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Checklist, you can see the list, the daily minimum servings I recommend, and examples of foods that go into each category. My Daily Dozen includes Beans, Berries, Other Fruits, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Other Vegetables, Flaxseeds, Nuts and Seeds, Herbs and Spices, Whole Grains, Beverages, and Exercise. By Beans, I mean legumes, which also include split peas, chickpeas, and lentils. It may not seem like you’re eating beans when you have a bowl of pea soup, for example, or dip carrots into hummus, but you are. We should try to get at least three servings a day. A serving is defined as a quarter cup of hummus or bean dip; a half cup of cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh; or a full cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils. Technically, peanuts are legumes, but, nutritionally, I put them in my Daily Dozen Nuts and Seeds category. Similarly, I put green beans, snap peas, and string beans into the Other Vegetables category. My Daily Dozen includes at least one serving of Berries a day, which is a half cup of fresh or frozen, or a quarter cup of dried. Biologically speaking, avocados, bananas, and even watermelons are technically berries, but to simplify things, I use the colloquial term for any small edible fruit. So, this category includes kumquats, grapes, raisins, and fruits that are typically thought of as berries even though they technically aren’t, like blackberries, cherries, mulberries, raspberries, and strawberries. For Other Fruits, a serving is a medium-sized fruit, a cup of cut-up fruit, or a quarter cup of dried fruit, and I recommend at least three daily servings. Again, I’m using the colloquial rather than the botanical definition, which is why I put tomatoes in the Other Vegetables group. Cruciferous Vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, collards, and kale, and I recommend at least one half-cup serving a day. My Daily Dozen also calls for at least two additional daily servings of Greens, cruciferous or otherwise, and two serving of Other Vegetables, with a serving being a cup of raw leafy vegetables, a half cup for raw or cooked non-leafy vegetables, and a quarter cup of dried mushrooms. Everyone should try to incorporate one tablespoon of ground Flaxseeds into their daily diet, in addition to one serving of Nuts and Seeds. A quarter cup of nuts is considered a serving, or you can have two tablespoons of nut or seed butters, including peanut butter. Chestnuts and coconuts don’t count nutritionally as nuts. For my Herbs and Spices category, I recommend a quarter teaspoon a day of the spice turmeric, along with any other salt-free herbs and spices you may enjoy. To meet my Daily Dozen, you need at least three servings of Whole Grains, and a serving can be a half cup of hot cereal (like oatmeal), cooked whole grains or so-called pseudograins (like amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa), cooked pasta, or corn kernels; a cup of ready-to-eat cold cereal; one tortilla or slice of bread; half a bagel or english muffin, or three cups of air-popped popcorn. The serving size in the Beverage category is one 12-ounce glass, and I recommend at least five servings a day in addition to the water you get naturally from the foods in your diet. If you’re curious, I explain my rationale in my How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day? video. Finally, my Daily Dozen calls for at least one daily “serving” of exercise, which can be split up over the day. I recommend 90 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as walking briskly (for instance, at a pace of four miles per hour), or 40 minutes of vigorous activity, like jogging or active sports. See my video How Much Should You Exercise? if you’d like more information. This may sound like a lot of boxes to check, but it’s easy to knock off a bunch at a time. One simple peanut butter and banana sandwich on whole-grain bread can check off four boxes, and imagine how many Daily Dozen boxes you could tick off when you sit down to a big salad of two cups of spinach, a handful of arugula, a handful of walnuts, a half cup of chickpeas, a half cup of red bell pepper, and a small tomato. That’s seven boxes in just one salad! Sprinkle on your flaxseeds, add a handful of goji berries, enjoy it with a glass of water, and end with some fruit for dessert, and you just met nearly half of the Daily Dozen in a single meal! And, if you just ate it on your treadmill…just kidding! Do I check off each glass of water I drink? No. In fact, I don’t even use the checklist anymore. I just used it initially as a tool to get me into a routine. Whenever I sat down to a meal, I challenged myself by asking, Could I add greens to this? Could I add beans to this? Can I sprinkle on some flax or pumpkin seeds? What about some dried fruit? The checklist just got me into the habit of wondering how I can make each meal even healthier. The checklist also helped with grocery shopping. Although I always keep bags of frozen berries and greens in the freezer, if I’m at the store and want to buy fresh produce for the week, it helps me figure out how much kale or blueberries I need. In fact, the checklist even helped me picture what a meal might look like. When you look over the Daily Dozen, as you can see at 6:44 in my video, you see that it includes three servings each of Beans, Other Fruits, and Whole Grains, and about twice as many vegetables in total than any other component, when you add up the Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, and Other Vegetables. So, glancing at my plate, I can imagine one quarter of it filled with grains, one quarter with legumes, and vegetables taking up the other half, along with a side salad and fruit for dessert, for instance. I really like one-bowl meals where everything’s mixed together, and even then the checklist helps me visualize. Instead of a big bowl of spaghetti with some veggies and lentils on top, I think of a big bowl of vegetables with some pasta and lentils mixed in. Instead of a big plate of quinoa with some stir-fried vegetables, I picture a meal that’s mostly vegetables with some quinoa and beans added in there, too. There’s no need to be obsessive about the Daily Dozen. On hectic travel days, when I’ve burned through my snacks and find myself stuck in some airport food court, I’m lucky if I hit even a quarter of my goals. If you eat poorly one day, just try to eat better the next. To help track your progress, volunteers created Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen apps for both iPhone and Android. You can download and use them both for free with no ads and no cost. My hope is that the checklist will serve as a helpful reminder to try to eat a variety of some the healthiest foods every day. KEY TAKEAWAYS All plant foods are not created equal, so although we should try to center our diets around whole plant foods, we should be sure to incorporate the most healthful ones. Some of the most special and important nutrients are sulforaphane, which is found almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables, and flaxseeds with their anticancer lignan compounds. The Daily Dozen checklist is the synopsis of recommendations I make in my book How Not to Die, incorporating everything I try to fit into my daily routine and lists categories and minimum servings. My Daily Dozen includes Beans (and legumes, including split peas, chickpeas, and lentils), Berries, Other Fruits, Cruciferous Vegetables, Greens, Other Vegetables, Flaxseeds, Nuts and Seeds, Herbs and Spices, Whole Grains, Beverages, and Exercise. The Daily Dozen is intended to inspire you to eat more healthful options and look at each eating experience as an opportunity to maximize nutrition. To help you tick the Daily Dozen boxes, volunteers created Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen app, completely free to download and use, and available for both iPhone and Android. This was quite the departure from our regular blogs! Normally, we just share the science from the primary sources in the peer-reviewed medical literature, but I want NutritionFacts.org to be more than just a reference site. I want it to be a practical guide on translating this mountain of data into day-to-day decisions, which is where my Daily Dozen app slips into the mix. It’s available for free on iTunes and as an Android app, thanks to an amazing group of volunteers through our Open Source Initiative. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Greger click here.

The post Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen Healthiest of Healthy Foods appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.