Brassicas are one of my favorite groups of vegetables, and they’re perfect for a hearty comfort-food meal this Fall!  These brilliant foods rank as the healthiest vegetables around. Brassicas are also known as cruciferous vegetables and they belong to the Brassicaceae family, more commonly known as the cabbage family.  While they’re chock-full of excellent vitamins and minerals, it’s their sulfur-rich phytonutrients that pack the biggest disease-fighting punch! 

While it may seem like a great idea to get these foods into our everyday diet, many people struggle with what exactly to do with them.  The brassicas are full of robust flavor that can be paired nicely with other foods. Here’s a quick breakdown of the various flavor categories of brassicas:

Mild flavor:  Includes brassicas like Bok Choy, Cauliflower, Napa Cabbage and Rutabaga

Stronger flavor:  Broccoli & Broccolini, Brussels sprouts, Cabbage, Collard greens and Kale

Peppery flavor:  Arugula, Radishes, Turnips and Watercress

Pungent flavor:  Horseradish, Wasabi and Mustard greens and seeds

BALANCING FLAVOR:

1. To balance and soften the flavor of brassicas you may add beans, potatoes, rice or pasta to the vegetable.
2. To smooth aggressive flavors you can add a form of dairy to your brassicas:  goat cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream and cheese.
3. To add a hint of sweetness you may add a small amount of honey, caramelized onions, fresh fruit, coconut or balsamic vinegar. 

Basic brassica pairings always include olive oil, garlic and sea salt.  You can use these three ingredients and make nearly any brassica taste delicious!  One of my favorite ways to enjoy kale,broccoli, brussels sprouts and broccolini is to toss the vegetables in these simple ingredients and roast in the oven.  It creates a sweet, caramelized flavor and the hearty plant will keep you satiated for a long while!  

Brassicas are essential to our diet because they provide anticarcinogenic (anticancer) and anti-inflammatory benefits.  They also promote liver detoxification which is necessary for optimal health and well-being. These vegetables care for our body at the cellular level, which is the foundation of health in the body.

Special consideration:  Some brassicas contain a high amount of vitamin K which can be challenging for any person on blood thinning prescription drugs such as Warfarin.  If this applies to you, be sure to speak with your physician about your dosage and how you may incorporate brassicas into your daily diet. The health benefits of the brassicas are amazing and with proper care you should be able to enjoy these foods while maintaining a consistent level of Vitamin K for your body’s needs.  

A lot of excitement had built up to the day I received the lab results from food allergy testing.  I was desperate to heal my sick body and I knew that if I honored my new dietary guidelines, I’d soon find myself feeling better.  The long document arrived via email and as I opened it, my stomach started knotting up. Not one, or two or three allergies, but they found nearly 100 foods that were contributing to my ailing body.  The overwhelm of dealing with sickness for two long years was now compounded by the fact that most of what I was eating on a daily basis was working against my health. How would I eat? What would I eat?  What would others now think of the way I eat??? My mind flooded with a lot of thoughts. I pretty much felt like my days as I knew them were over.  

Many others feel this way too; for the past 9 years we’ve helped clients shift this feeling of overwhelm into feeling capable, strong and ready.  We focus on all the foods they can have and they soon experience weight loss, decreased headaches and joint pain, increased energy and more.  Food is amazing fuel for the body, except when it isn’t. This was definitely the case for me and I had to structure my daily food intake differently.  

Anytime we make a shift, such as this, there will always be people questioning, and providing counsel even when not invited to do so.  After receiving the news of my food allergies, I learned to cook in a whole new way, we overhauled the pantry, fridge and freezer and started on a new path of healthy eating.  The problem was that not everyone understood or agreed with all the shifts we were making. And that was okay, all be it difficult to receive sometimes, it was okay. They needed to process things just as much as we did.  One thing that may be helpful to you if you find yourself in this space of change, is to remember that you are on your journey, and everyone else is on theirs. I still have people push food and drink on me because they feel like it’s a ding against them that I haven’t taken part.  The shifts we make are not about anyone else, but rather about the health and happiness of our own selves. Keep this focus, offer others grace, come up with a funny one-liner to use in the moment, and stick to what serves you well. One of my favorite one-liners when someone wants me to drink wine is “Hey, I love wine, it just doesn’t love me.”  Use this anytime you’d like, and update to suit your own situation.  

Those who know me well would tell you I’m always up for fun and adventure.  But as the sign above says, I might have been born to be wild, but only until 9 p.m.  Healing the body and turning ill symptoms back into strong health all take time and conscious effort.   I will continue to honor my dietary needs, I’ll party until I know my body needs good rest (I’m typically asleep by 10), and I’ll honor the healthy boundaries I’ve set for myself because it means I’ll be able to live well.  I’ll feel good and continue to be active and adventurous until the day I take my last breath.  

Be confident in what serves you well.  Create a welcoming environment for all.  And know that it’s okay if not everyone agrees or understands.  My guess is that over time, they’ll see the fruits of your labor and start to make healthy shifts too.  

Here’s to partying ‘til 9!

xo,