Do you love the taste of broccoli? I sure don't. To be perfectly honest, I'm not crazy about most veggies. But they're all now a big part of our diet because veggies trump processed foods as healthy good eats.
As a young mom, I fed my kids broccoli; it became a regular at our table. Like most moms trying to tempt their kids to eat healthy, I faced the challenge of getting them to eat their broccoli. My solution was the fallback one: to slather gooey cheese (hardly a healthy choice!) on top. Before I knew it, the cheese was gone---er, and much of the broccoli.
That was then. Now, it's bare broccoli for this kid. I've learned to appreciate the taste---notice I didn't say "love."
Yet, there is something to love about broccoli. Its heapin' helpin' of Vitamin C; and minerals, calcium, potassium, selenium, sulphur; and dietary fiber. Oh, and sulforaphane. It's a phytochemical that kicks good enzymes into production in your gut. The compound protects against inflammation and free radicals.
You may have seen where broccoli, a cruciferous veggie, ranks high on anti-cancer food lists. Dr. Victor Marchione of Doctors Health Press tells how it helps one type of cancer, in particular. He wrote about recent news on scientists' findings. "…Researchers have found that [organic?]broccoli is 95% lethal against colon cancer cells.
"Colon cancer usually takes hold in the large intestine or the rectum…if diagnosed early, it can often be completely cured."
Colon and breast cancers are among the cancers where diet may be key. But what kind of a diet? The great American diet? One packed with over-processed foods from conventional grocery stores? Nope. One that comes primarily from organically-grown foods, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, veggies, fruits.
Dr. Marchione goes on to tell about scientists who studied a broccoli extract's effects on human cancer cells. They found that "broccoli specifically excelled in its performance against colon cancer cells. In fact, the tasty vegetable [his words, not mine] showed 95% lethality when attacking the cancer cells!"
In these days where toxic soil produces toxic foods, our health mission is pretty straightforward: Ditch the junk, and not just the snacks (exception: snacks wearing the USDA organic seal). This food consumer urges you to quit the conventional grocery stores where 80% of packaged foods contain GMOs. Instead, head to organic food stores, farmers markets, CSAs. (If none of these options is open to you, shop online at either The Green Polka Dot Box, or Azure Standard.) Will you pay more? Probably. But what does cancer treatment cost?
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