Have You Ever Heard of Sulforaphane?

 

Sulforaphane might possibly the most health-promoting antioxidant in the world.  It helps in fighting inflammation, protects your brain, detoxing your liver, prevents cancer, supports your heart health and even helps in weight loss.  But, the crazy thing is, this wonderful nutrient is NOT actually in foods! 

It is a compound that's created when you chew certain vegetables, thereby releasing components that mix in your mouth and create this life-giving antioxidant.

The richest source of compounds your body needs to produce sulforaphane is Broccoli sprouts. Sulforaphane is created from only raw cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower etc.

For more information on the benefits see:

Watch this first: 

Beautiful Broccoli

Sulforaphane:What is It?

Have a great week. 

Please wear your mask!

Judd

Crazy Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of the  most versatile and delicious vegetables with numerous health benefits.   Here are some reasons why this Cruciferous or Brassicaceae vegetable scores off the chart for nutrition: Cauliflower contains glucosinolates, which trigger our bodies own antioxidant systems.   Which correlates with a decreased risk of cancers including lung, stomach, breast and bladder.

A half-cup of raw or cooked cauliflower has more then half of our RDA vitamin C, which is important for immune health.   One cup provides roughly 2 grams of both soluble and insoluble fiber which is very important for good colon health.   This combination of both types of fiber are excellent for weight management while being low in calories (27) compared to a typical pretzel pack (110).   Have some raw cauliflower for a snack instead.   It also provides us with over 10% of our RDA for vitamins B 5 and B 6. B 5 is required by dozens of enzymes that produce energy from food, while B 6 supports more than 100 enzymes needed for essential functions including the release of stored glucose.   Glucose is form of simple sugar that fuels our brain, carries out nerve cell conduction, assists muscle contractions and provides energy to go the extra mile.   Being high in fiber, just remember don't eat cauliflower as a pre-exercise or workout snack as it could cause digestive issues.

There are many different varieties and colors of cauliflower, but most grocery stores only carry white.   You will have to go to your local farmers markets to find others. (You should be doing this anyway!). 

One of my favorites is Romanesco, called both broccoli and cauliflower, it is pretty crazy looking!

Here is an easy recipe using Romanesco or any type of cauliflower:

Preheat oven to 425'.

Cut Romanesco into bite-size florets.

Coat with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, garlic salt and smoked paprika.

Sprinkle with lemon juice, and rosemary and thyme seasoning.(or any blend you want)

Roast in oven for 10-20 minutes until desired tenderness (crunchy is better)

Using leftover quinoa and brown rice (you should have some prepped for easy weekly recipes).

Add some black beans and mix all together.

Top it off with some Green Goddess Dressing.

If you have the rice, quinoa and beans already in the fridge, it's a quick and easy nutritional powerhouse!

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd

"Good Fats" Don't Make You Fat

Our society is obsessed with low-fat, fat-free foods.   Where as our bodies need good quality fats (unsaturated preferably) to function properly.   Our brains are made up of approximately 60% fat, mostly from omega 3 fatty acids (DHA).  The fat we eat literally feeds our brains.   We need DHA to promote good cell communication and access to good quality Omega 3 cognition, memory, happiness and mental clarity.   Where a deficiency  of those same amino acids leads to depression, anxiety and many other neurological issues.   Most low-fat and fat-free foods are highly processed with a lot of added sugars to take their place.   Sugar is whats makes us fat.   Consuming a lot of sugar means your cells become numb to insulin's "call".  Your body pumps out more and more insulin to pull your blood sugar levels back down.   You can't burn all the sugar you eat, so your body stores it as fat creating insulin resistance and overall metabolic mayhem.   The more sugar stored the heavier we get.   The more insulin resistance we have, the quicker we become diabetic and our health is going downhill.

  Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats are vital to good health and we should try to consume them in a 1;1 ratio.   As to many Omega 6 fats without the balance of Omega 3 fats cause inflammation in our bodies.   Inflammation is the root of most chronic diseases.   Good sources of balanced omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids for plant-based diets are:

*Green leafy vegetables; Spinach, kale, broccoli rabe, grape leaves, etc. 

*Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and Cauliflower (the most notable with 208 mg omega 3 and 62 mg omega 6).

*Seeds: chia, flax and hemp.

Nuts: walnuts, brazil, almonds etc.

* Fruits: strawberries and kiwi.

*Organic cold pressed oils: coconut, olive.

And my favorite;

Avocados:

Although the ratio of 3 and 6 fats are not that great, they are high in nutritional value.   They are an excellent source of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that helps cleanse and detox our bodies of heavy metals and fighting free-radicals.  They are rich in folate which reduces heart disease and strokes and helps maintain optimum health.   Certain nutrients are absorbed better when eaten with avocados such as leafy greens in salads, smoothies and sandwiches.

This is a very good article from Dr. Mercola: "Major trouble ahead"

Here's a great easy Buffalo Cauliflower Wings from "The Happy Pear"

The Happy Pear are twin brothers from Ireland, who are two very highly enthusiastic plant-based entrepreneurs.   They have a YouTube channel  with awesome recipes, mostly doable in 5 minutes.

You can listen to a Rich Roll podcast with them here.

For a great motivational uplift for the a new way of tackling life check out Rich Roll's podcast with David Goggins.

Next week: Salt

Have a great week.

Be kind.

Judd