Cruciferous vegetables, including Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli, are nutrient-dense vegetables. It has a bitter taste and a slight sulfur smell when cooked and is rich in powerful nutrients and minerals.
Broccoli, in particular, is known for being a rich source of glucosinolates, sulfur-containing compounds responsible for its smell, taste, and numerous health benefits.One These range from cancer-fighting properties to heart health.
The best health-boosting nutrient in broccoli is sulforaphane. It was first identified as having chemical protective properties in the 1990s and has been widely studied for its health benefits since then.2 Broccoli sprouts contain 10 to 100 times more sulforaphane than mature broccoli.three
Nutrients in Cruciferous Vegetables Spark Interest and Health Debate
Glucosinolates, which occur naturally in cruciferous vegetables, react with human enzymes during chewing to form isothiocyanates (ITCs). Sulforaphane is classified as an isothiocyanate.
ITC is of considerable interest to researchers due to its anticancer activity and ability to promote detoxification.4 Unfortunately, sulforaphane is also an antithyroid agent, or goitrin.5 Goitrin is an organosulfur compound also found in cruciferous vegetables and is the reason broccoli is considered to have negative effects on thyroid health.
This is where the topic of cruciferous vegetables can get tricky. Boiling and blanching effectively destroy the goitrogenic properties of cruciferous vegetables, but also eliminate the benefits provided by ITC ingredients such as sulforaphane.
Additionally, to obtain clinical levels of sulforaphane, you would need to eat one pound of raw cruciferous vegetables every day.6 You can avoid all of these potential pitfalls by switching to broccoli sprouts.7
How You Can Benefit from Sulforaphane
Before reviewing the benefits of broccoli sprouts and how to grow your own, let's review some of the beneficial properties attributed to sulforaphane and other ITCs found in the cruciferous vegetable. Sulforaphane has been widely studied, and the range of its potential benefits is amazing. for example:
- 2017 study8 It has been found to be effective in treating moderate to severe autism.
- The British Journal of Nutrition found that older Western Australian women who consumed more cruciferous vegetables had a lower risk of excess calcium deposits in their aorta.
- 2015 study9 Research on isothiocyanates (ITCs), most notably sulforaphane, has shown that consuming broccoli is beneficial for the heart.
- It also boosts liver enzymes that fight cancer causing environmental toxins.10
- Frontiers in Oncology Research in 202311 “Sulforaphane (SFN) is one of these naturally occurring substances, and studies have shown that it can target a specific population of cancer cells that exhibit stem-like characteristics known as cancer stem cells (CSCs).”
Additional Benefits of Broccoli: ICZ and Leaky Gut
Sulforaphane has been the subject of study in 3,000 rodent studies, 50 clinical trials, and numerous preclinical trials.12 This is just one of the many nutrients found in cruciferous vegetables.
Recent research13 Broccoli has been found to help treat leaky gut and colitis. Leaky gut is a serious and underdiagnosed condition that occurs when cracks form in the intestinal wall membrane, which can lead to inflammation, skin disorders, food intolerances, allergic reactions and neuropsychological disorders.14
Indolocarbazole (ICZ) can strengthen immune function and improve microbiome health by binding to the intestinal wall and activating receptors. Like sulforaphane, it is produced when eating cruciferous vegetables. You would need to eat 3.5 cups of broccoli every day to achieve the levels needed to clear your leaks.
However, Brussels sprouts contain three times more ICZ, so just one cup is enough. Broccoli sprouts are also a source of ICZ and have shown great potential in addressing intestinal dysfunction.15
Optimize your vegetable intake with broccoli sprouts
With all this impressive research, you might be wondering how much sulforaphane you should be taking. The USDA recommends 2.5 to 3.5 cups of vegetables daily, but does not specify a recommendation for cruciferous vegetables.16
However, they distinguish between leafy vegetables and beans, peas and lentils.17 I strongly urge you to limit lectins, which are anti-nutrients linked to inflammation and autoimmune responses found in beans, grains, legumes, and solanaceae.
It can be difficult to consume sufficient amounts of raw, mature broccoli. This is just one of the reasons why broccoli sprouts can be an essential component of your diet. Broccoli sprouts are much more nutrient dense and require much smaller amounts to obtain the same levels of nutrients such as ICZ and ITC, such as sulforaphane.
Research on broccoli florets and sprouts and the possible health effects of goitrin is also promising. Broccoli Mature broccoli, which is shaped like a floret, is rated as having the lowest anti-thyroid efficacy among cruciferous vegetables.18 According to another study,19 “In animals with hypothyroidism, broccoli sprouts have been shown to have a beneficial effect on the antioxidant balance of the thyroid gland.”
Researchers at the National Academy of Sciences also concluded:20 “A small amount of cruciferous plant sprouts can prevent cancer risk as effectively as eating a much larger amount of mature vegetables of the same variety.”
Growing a Broccoli Sprout Garden
I encourage everyone to grow their own food. Growing broccoli sprouts doesn't require a lot of space and provides tremendous nutritional benefits. It can also be grown indoors all year round. Compared to mature broccoli, sprouts can grow faster, are more concentrated in nutrients, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and have fewer anti-nutrients.
You may be surprised to learn that growing broccoli sprouts takes no more than a week. Sprouts are one of the easiest and least labor-intensive options. See the video above for step-by-step instructions on how to grow sunflower sprouts. This same technique can be applied to other sprouting seeds.
Once you find a suitable space and secure sprouting seeds, you can have a supply of broccoli sprouts in just a few days. Here is a step-by-step guide to growing bean sprouts.
- Get a tray that fits your space, 5 to 10 pounds of ceramic tiles and ballast to place on top of the tiles while the seeds germinate.
- You can grow sprouts in jars, but soil is easier and produces more food.
- Place the seeds in a bowl with three times as much clean, cool water and soak for eight hours.
- You can recycle the soaked water into a watering can or other container to water other plants.
- Rinse the seeds and leave them out of water for 24 hours or until they begin to sprout.
- Fill a tray or planting container halfway with soil and sprinkle the seeds evenly over the soil.
- Water until the soil is moist but not dripping.
- Cover the soil with ceramic tiles and 5- to 10-pound weights.
- Water the sprouts for 2 to 4 days, removing the tiles every 24 hours, replacing the tiles between waterings.
- Once sprouts begin to sprout and the tiles are lifted, remove them and place the tray in a sunny spot.
- After another 2-3 days, the buds can be harvested.
Protect your food security from crop failure and reduced yields
It cannot be overlooked that growing food shortages and inflation are rapidly becoming the norm. These difficulties are not the result of failed policies but part of the World Economic Forum's Great Reset.
The world is slowly waking up to these technocratic takeovers. Deliberately incompetent regulatory decisions and policies are being implemented under the guise of science. Upheaval and privatization will follow. There are several steps you can take to meet your basic food needs and prepare for future food shortages.
Obtain Organic Seeds — Obtaining, storing and using organic, non-GMO seeds is the first step to protecting our food supply. Propagating organic seeds from organically grown plants is the most sustainable solution to food insecurity. Finding high-quality, organic seeds is a good starting point. They produce the strongest plants and healthiest foods. |
Save your best plant seeds — Save seeds of the best performing plants for your land and ecosystem and gradually develop varieties that are better adapted to your soil, climate and growing conditions. |
Growing food at home — Growing as much fresh food as possible is fundamental to protecting our food supply. Sprouts grow quickly and are rich in nutrients. It requires a small space, so it's a good starting point. Stocking up on sprouting seeds is a must. |
Raising Chickens — Local regulations often allow chickens that can provide a steady supply of eggs. Keep in mind that chickens also need feed. If you're lucky enough to have the space to build a homestead, there's a portable chicken coop that allows your birds to free-range and feed while protecting them from predators. |
Gardening — Gardens can vary greatly in size. Ideally, the space for an orchard is one that can grow a variety of crops. It doesn't matter whether you supplement your diet on a small scale or are completely self-sufficient. |
Canning and Pickling — This is a basic food storage skill that your grandparents or great-grandparents would have mastered. In difficult times, you can certainly benefit from adopting these proven methods, which are especially important in areas with short growing seasons. |
Prepare for food insecurity with minimal growing space
If you don't have enough land to grow your own food, consider joining a food cooperative. You can also store food in a shelf-stable, non-perishable form. Dry foods like rice and beans will last much longer than their labeled expiration date. It is best stored in sealed food grade buckets containing oxygen absorbers. Freeze-dried food can last 25 years or more.
Whey, protein powder, and canned fish (avoid fish with vegetable oil) can add balance to your diet during times of food shortage. Vacuum sealing food is another option. Use a cool, dark place for optimal storage. If you live in a rental home without a basement, you can also build a pantry.
These feasible practices are not labor- or cost-free, but they can provide the necessary security. When you need to re-use your supplies, you'll be thankful that you have broccoli sprouts that are nutritionally powerful and easy to grow.
