Immune-boosting Foods: Broccoli

Cancer institutes around the world value broccoli as the number-one anticancer food, and with good reasons. As well as being rich in disease-fighting vitamin C, it also contains sulforaphane, a phyto-chemical that occurs naturally in broccoli and other vegetables of the cruciferous family — kale, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, brussels sprouts and many salad greens. Sulforaphane stimulates the body's production of substances called Phase II detoxification enzymes. These enzymes destroy carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) and free radicals before they can attack healthy cells. Second, cruciferous vegetables are loaded with indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a phytochemical shown to inhibit the growth of the type of cancer cells in the breast that are responsive to estrogen. In fact, researchers are now examining the feasibility of putting I3C in a pill to combat breast cancer.

The proof: When scientists fed rats hearty servings of broccoli for a few days, then exposed them to a potent compound that induces breast cancer, the broccoli eaters were half as likely to develop tumors as animals on the standard feed. And the broccoli eaters that did develop cancer ended up with fewer and smaller tumors.

Put broccoli to work: Regardless of how you prepare cruciferous vegetables, eating them is good for you. But if you want to rev up your body's disease-fighting abilities fast, look a little further down the family tree to broccoli sprouts. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University have found that, gram for gram, these tender shoots can contain up to 20 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli. In other words, 30 g of sprouts yields as much protective power as about 625 g of cooked broccoli!

Ask for broccoli sprouts at your local greengrocer or supermarket, but if you can't find them, why not grow your own? Sprouts of all kinds are powerhouses of health and are very quick and easy to grow. Health food shops will supply you with special sprouting seeds that have not been treated with pesticides and recommend a sprouter that suits the size of your household. Simply follow the manufacturer's instructions. Refrigerate your fat-free, low-kilojoule broccoli sprouts and rinse in fresh, clean water before using. Serve generously in sandwiches and salads before the use-by date.