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Cauliflower & Broccoli
I read recently about the health benefits to men, of eating the above foods .
This might seem like a silly question - but given that they make me feel ill , eating them - does it make any difference to their effects , if you mask the taste , by covering them with , for example , gravy or salad cream ?
This might seem like a silly question - but given that they make me feel ill , eating them - does it make any difference to their effects , if you mask the taste , by covering them with , for example , gravy or salad cream ?
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It's not a silly question at all and has probably been thought of by many people over the years. The answer depends if you cook them or not - my mother-in-law prefers florets of both of them fresh and uncooked!
As far as fresh, raw florets of either broccoli or cauliflower are concerned, the nutritional value remains virtually the same whatever you cover them with. Mind you, theoretically, there is a risk that some of the heat sensitive vitamins such as vitamin C contained in cauliflower and broccoli could be reduced or even destroyed if the gravy was excessively hot, but it's pretty unlikely to make much difference in practice.
Florets of either vegetable that have been been boiled and then simmered to taste will almost certainly have no vitamin C present as the heat will have destroyed it along with a few other heat sensitive vitamins and chemicals.
However, recent research centres around the health benefits of isothiocyanates and glucosinolates in broccoli and cauliflower. These substances along with phytochemicals are known to be hinder the growth of cancerous cells. The quantities of these substances in cauliflower and broccoli remain virtually unaffected no matter how you cook them. It follows that adding gravy etc to these vegetables after cooking makes little difference to their health benefits.
As far as fresh, raw florets of either broccoli or cauliflower are concerned, the nutritional value remains virtually the same whatever you cover them with. Mind you, theoretically, there is a risk that some of the heat sensitive vitamins such as vitamin C contained in cauliflower and broccoli could be reduced or even destroyed if the gravy was excessively hot, but it's pretty unlikely to make much difference in practice.
Florets of either vegetable that have been been boiled and then simmered to taste will almost certainly have no vitamin C present as the heat will have destroyed it along with a few other heat sensitive vitamins and chemicals.
However, recent research centres around the health benefits of isothiocyanates and glucosinolates in broccoli and cauliflower. These substances along with phytochemicals are known to be hinder the growth of cancerous cells. The quantities of these substances in cauliflower and broccoli remain virtually unaffected no matter how you cook them. It follows that adding gravy etc to these vegetables after cooking makes little difference to their health benefits.
Mmm. This makes me feel a lot better... my fav vegies along with broad beans.
I remember my mum used to make a sauce of milk/sugar/cornflour to mask the taste from my 4 siblings who all hated the taste of Cauliflower. I used to get some dirty looks, sitting there enjoying the cauliflower without sauce.
It is amazing how different our taste preference is. Perhaps the prof may have a theory on that. btw I like brussell sprout too.
I remember my mum used to make a sauce of milk/sugar/cornflour to mask the taste from my 4 siblings who all hated the taste of Cauliflower. I used to get some dirty looks, sitting there enjoying the cauliflower without sauce.
It is amazing how different our taste preference is. Perhaps the prof may have a theory on that. btw I like brussell sprout too.
I know what you mean wildwood. As a child, I couldn't stand broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower or brussels sprouts myself. The same applied to parsnips, swede and a load of others that just tasted "earthy" to me.
Yet over the last twenty years or so, I'll quite happily eat broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts in moderation - the rest are still are no-no.
It is known that it's possible to "train" taste buds to tolerate and adapt to certain foods but it doesn't seem to work in every individual. On top of this, subtle changes happen to the anatomy of taste buds as we age which is why some foods we eat nowadays don't taste the same as they did years ago. All the same if we don't like the look or smell of something, it doesn't reach the mouth anyway which is really the bottom line as far as food preferences are concerned.
One of the reasons why hypertension is so high in the middle-aged and elderly is because we are no longer so sensitive to the salt in food due to these taste bud changes. This in turn makes us add more salt to the food than is good for us, pushing up the blood pressure. All the same it's no good using this excuse to your GP, as they'll tell you to add more herbs and spices to your food instead!
Yet over the last twenty years or so, I'll quite happily eat broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts in moderation - the rest are still are no-no.
It is known that it's possible to "train" taste buds to tolerate and adapt to certain foods but it doesn't seem to work in every individual. On top of this, subtle changes happen to the anatomy of taste buds as we age which is why some foods we eat nowadays don't taste the same as they did years ago. All the same if we don't like the look or smell of something, it doesn't reach the mouth anyway which is really the bottom line as far as food preferences are concerned.
One of the reasons why hypertension is so high in the middle-aged and elderly is because we are no longer so sensitive to the salt in food due to these taste bud changes. This in turn makes us add more salt to the food than is good for us, pushing up the blood pressure. All the same it's no good using this excuse to your GP, as they'll tell you to add more herbs and spices to your food instead!
Thanks Prof
What I was reading ( as you have referred to ),was an article advising of the benefits of eating these foods , in order to reduce the risk of Prostate cancer .
Do you know what the risk reduction , in percentage terms is .
Also is the benefits ONLY in reducing the chance of cells becoming cancerous OR is there also a benefit in subduing the progression of cancerous cells , even if they have become cancerous already ?
You also mentioned phytochemicals - what foods is this found in ?
What I was reading ( as you have referred to ),was an article advising of the benefits of eating these foods , in order to reduce the risk of Prostate cancer .
Do you know what the risk reduction , in percentage terms is .
Also is the benefits ONLY in reducing the chance of cells becoming cancerous OR is there also a benefit in subduing the progression of cancerous cells , even if they have become cancerous already ?
You also mentioned phytochemicals - what foods is this found in ?
I'll take a guess that the article you were reading was based upon a paper published in volume 99 number 15 pages 1200-1209 of The Journal Of The National Cancer Institute called "Prospective Study of Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Prostate Cancer" a few months ago The authors were Victoria A. Kirsh, Ulrike Peters, Susan T. Mayne, Amy F. Subar, Nilanjan Chatterjee, Christine C. Johnson and Richard B. Hayes.
I've included this information because someone reading this post who has access to the Oxford Journals Online, may wish to look up the article for themselves. There are other studies in existence which are not quite so conclusive as this one, so I'll confine myself to it alone. I would add however, that what I'm about to say is a simplification of the conclusions of the study . This is because much of the study and figures are based on quite complex statistical analysis and tumour classification systems etc that can be difficult to grasp. I'm used to wading through scientific papers but even I had to stop and re-read more than one section of this paper, so if you'll allow me, I'll summarise the findings. (OMG is there anyway to say this without sounding big-headed?)
Now I'll give you the raw data.
I've included this information because someone reading this post who has access to the Oxford Journals Online, may wish to look up the article for themselves. There are other studies in existence which are not quite so conclusive as this one, so I'll confine myself to it alone. I would add however, that what I'm about to say is a simplification of the conclusions of the study . This is because much of the study and figures are based on quite complex statistical analysis and tumour classification systems etc that can be difficult to grasp. I'm used to wading through scientific papers but even I had to stop and re-read more than one section of this paper, so if you'll allow me, I'll summarise the findings. (OMG is there anyway to say this without sounding big-headed?)
Now I'll give you the raw data.
The study was concerned with showing that it would be beneficial for doctors to inform their patients that eating more cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts may reduce their risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.
Initially, 29361 men took part in the study after completing a questionnaire regarding their lifestyles etc. Each participant was given a full medical prior to joining the study and the study took place over a period of eight years.
Of these 29361 men, 1338 of them developed prostate cancer in various grades of severity over the period of the study. The study contains much data of interest to scientists, but to answer the original question, much of the data we need is in Table 3 of the paper and I�ll try to summarise it.
Each participant was asked how often he ate broccoli, cauliflower and other green vegetables etc. They were grouped into four study groups that ranged between those that ate these vegetables from less than once a month to more than once a week.
Initially, 29361 men took part in the study after completing a questionnaire regarding their lifestyles etc. Each participant was given a full medical prior to joining the study and the study took place over a period of eight years.
Of these 29361 men, 1338 of them developed prostate cancer in various grades of severity over the period of the study. The study contains much data of interest to scientists, but to answer the original question, much of the data we need is in Table 3 of the paper and I�ll try to summarise it.
Each participant was asked how often he ate broccoli, cauliflower and other green vegetables etc. They were grouped into four study groups that ranged between those that ate these vegetables from less than once a month to more than once a week.
As far as broccoli was concerned, 501 of the 1338 men who developed prostate cancer ate broccoli less than once a month, whilst 267 said they ate it more than once a week.
As far as Cauliflower was concerned, 695 of the 1338 men ate it less than once a month whilst 141 ate it more than once a week.
As far as Brussels sprouts were concerned, 1097 of the 1338 men ate them less than once a month whilst an astonishing 29 patients ate them more than once a week.
Spinach was also found to have beneficial effects on the development of tumour growth. Peppers, potatoes and other vegetables were found to make no difference to the development of the cancers.
It would be unfair of me to attribute a percentage effectiveness of these vegetables in keeping prostate cancer at bay as it depends on so many factors, including your general health, hereditary traits and how often the vegetables are eaten as the study shows. In addition, although this is one of the best and reliable studies to date, the findings may be rubbished tomorrow and I�m afraid this is the name of the game as far as published scientific papers are concerned..
These vegetables work best at preventing cancerous cells developing in the first place undoubtedly. However, there is some evidence that they do indeed slow the growth of cancerous cells in patients with the less aggressive forms of the cancer. Regretfully, it�s too late in a patient with advanced, aggressive forms of tumour.
Phytochemicals are fascinating compounds that are found in many fruit and vegetables. Flavonoids are found in grapes, oranges, lemons. Indoles and isothyocyantes are the ones found in brocolli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Carotenoids are in carrots and lycopenes in tomatoes. Polyphenols are in strawberries and raspberries. They also occur in tarragon, mint, onion and garlic.
As far as Cauliflower was concerned, 695 of the 1338 men ate it less than once a month whilst 141 ate it more than once a week.
As far as Brussels sprouts were concerned, 1097 of the 1338 men ate them less than once a month whilst an astonishing 29 patients ate them more than once a week.
Spinach was also found to have beneficial effects on the development of tumour growth. Peppers, potatoes and other vegetables were found to make no difference to the development of the cancers.
It would be unfair of me to attribute a percentage effectiveness of these vegetables in keeping prostate cancer at bay as it depends on so many factors, including your general health, hereditary traits and how often the vegetables are eaten as the study shows. In addition, although this is one of the best and reliable studies to date, the findings may be rubbished tomorrow and I�m afraid this is the name of the game as far as published scientific papers are concerned..
These vegetables work best at preventing cancerous cells developing in the first place undoubtedly. However, there is some evidence that they do indeed slow the growth of cancerous cells in patients with the less aggressive forms of the cancer. Regretfully, it�s too late in a patient with advanced, aggressive forms of tumour.
Phytochemicals are fascinating compounds that are found in many fruit and vegetables. Flavonoids are found in grapes, oranges, lemons. Indoles and isothyocyantes are the ones found in brocolli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Carotenoids are in carrots and lycopenes in tomatoes. Polyphenols are in strawberries and raspberries. They also occur in tarragon, mint, onion and garlic.
Thanks China. I and mrs Prof hope you had a lovely Christmas too.
Santa brought us everything we asked for and mrs prof is very happy with her new laptop that I'm using right now. Now that the grandchildren have left, the rest of the afternoon is going to be devoted to the telly and this luscious bottle of Taylor's port we've just opened.
Have a very happy new year.
Santa brought us everything we asked for and mrs prof is very happy with her new laptop that I'm using right now. Now that the grandchildren have left, the rest of the afternoon is going to be devoted to the telly and this luscious bottle of Taylor's port we've just opened.
Have a very happy new year.
Thanks Prof - very informative
Hi China - i'm still here - I had a nice christmas - how about you ?
Lately , i've tended to look at the posts of others , rather than post myself .
I recall in one of your posts , not too long ago , that you intimated that things weren't too rosy - I hope things are now better for you .
Best Wishes for the New Year, to you China and to you Prof
Hi China - i'm still here - I had a nice christmas - how about you ?
Lately , i've tended to look at the posts of others , rather than post myself .
I recall in one of your posts , not too long ago , that you intimated that things weren't too rosy - I hope things are now better for you .
Best Wishes for the New Year, to you China and to you Prof
Saga louts, Saga louts, if only. I'm a good few years off retiring yet and I've already been invited about taking on two emeritus professorships in the UK and three in the USA when I reach retirement age.
I'm afraid I'm destined to be found dead in the lab with my test tube in my hand! Ooerr, what a thought.
I'm afraid I'm destined to be found dead in the lab with my test tube in my hand! Ooerr, what a thought.
Bathsheba, I wasn't offended at all by phrase and I'm sorry if you needlessly thought I was upset about it.. I found it hilarious..Although I've heard the phrase before, I never thought of myself slowly becoming one of them!
I'm afraid I'm not a white-haired grandfather as my wife and I had children at fairly early age. Likewise, our children had their children soon after they were married. My hair is more or less its original colour apart from a few grey ones here and I've still got all my own teeth too!
I'm afraid I'm not a white-haired grandfather as my wife and I had children at fairly early age. Likewise, our children had their children soon after they were married. My hair is more or less its original colour apart from a few grey ones here and I've still got all my own teeth too!
