Every year around Christmas we begin to see an odd little vegetable sprout up in our local grocer’s and farmer’s markets. Amongst the oranges, cranberries, chestnuts and other typical winter-harvested produce, we’ve come to expect to find the little Brussel Sprout in and amongst them.
As a hardy, biannually harvested vegetable, Brussel Sprouts are a staple on the holiday table. More recently though this hard, green sprout has become popular again, and found more and more in restaurants throughout the year, thanks to the culinary world taking a second-look at its versatile and robust character.
The same plant that delivers a crop in winter, will also produce a summer harvest, however we tend to identify Brussel Sprouts as a cold-weather food. That association has a lot to do with the cruciferous plant thriving best in the colder seasons.
And lucky for us they do. It’s probably no mistake that Mother Nature provides us foods that we need, when we need them the most. For instance, oranges and most citrus fruits ripen in time for the cold and flu season, which is really no coincidence, but part of a natural bounty of available immune-boosting foods that the earth provides to help humankind cope with seasonal illnesses, and Brussel Sprouts are no exception.
The Cruciferous family tree
The Brussel Sprout comes from a rather large family of vigorous and long-lasting vegetables that do as well grown in the colder months as in the warmth of summer — sometimes better. Cruciferous vegetables all belong to the cabbage family (genus Brassica), the name is derived from the four-petaled flowers that grow first on the plant that look like a crucifer, or cross.
Cruciferous veggie family include (alphabetically):
- Arugula (also called rocket)
- Bok choy
- Broccoli (including Rabi)
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Chard
- Collard and mustard greens
- Daikon radish
- Horseradish
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Radish
- Rutabaga
- Turnip
- Wasabi
- Watercress
The health benefits of cruciferous vegetables are vast and important to our diets and our overall health. The most important of which is Glucosinolate, a sulfur-containing compound, playing a major role in protecting the body from certain cancers, including breast, pancreatic, bladder, lung, prostate and colon cancer.
The enzymes in cruciferous vegetables help to protect the cell’s DNA from damage and have antioxidant properties that further defend the cell, packing an anti-cancer wollop to invading free radicals.
Additionally, Brussel Sprouts, like all their cruciferous cousins, boast loads of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber may reduce blood cholesterol and sugar and support your body to improve blood glucose control, which can aid in reducing your risk for diabetes. Insoluble fiber attracts water into your stool, making it softer and easier to pass with less strain on your bowel. (Credit: Healthline)
They also contain a truckload of Vitamin C, Folate or B9, Potassium and Selenium which is a mega immune system booster.
A versatile and delicious veggie anytime of year
The most authentic health benefits come from raw veg, and in fact most cooking methods, especially microwaves, remove valuable vitamins and compounds. Studies show steaming vegetables to have the least impact in removing these important nutrients, and this is also true with cruciferous vegetables. The sulfur-containing glycosides depletes significantly with any method of cooking as heating the sulfur removes the positive effects of the glycosides, so it’s important to keeping any cooking process to a minimum.
To get the maximum health benefits from your Brussel Sprouts either eat them in a salad raw or steam them quickly. When cooking, it’s best to shred the bulb to quickly cook the sprout, which can take much longer when cooked as a solid bud. Even cutting the body of the sprout in half will speed up the cooking process.
Shredded sprouts will sauté in minutes in a good glug of olive, or coconut oil if you are cooking at a high temperature, and are best lightly seasoned.
Brussel Sprouts are the best the season has to bring, for your health now and all year long.
