Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are a great way to get your veggies into your diet and reduce your risk of cancers. These types of veggies have many health benefits.  Learning how to incorporate them into your diet is the biggest question that I get when talking to people about healthy eating.

I am a big fan of eating some veggies raw and there is much research promoting this method. Eating cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, radishes after you cut them up into smaller pieces are great snacks and side dishes at meals and even make a good stir fry. If you stir fry them, do not cook them very long, blanch them a little bit with water and finish with a little olive oil and some seasoning. Other veggies in this category, such as greens, kale, bok choy should be blanched and sauteed in olive or peanut oil along with some seasonings.

I try to get at least one cruciferous vegetable with every meal. Yes, even breakfast! I normally steam some broccoli or cauliflower in the morning to go with my breakfast which is normally an egg, a piece of fruit and the vegetable. Even on days that I have oatmeal, I eat some raisins and a veggie.

Think differently about your meals. I sometimes have a salad for breakfast and eat pancakes for dinner. Look for good recipes at cookinglight.com, fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov, and at myrecipes.com.