What is the most hated vegetable?
Odds are, Brussels sprouts probably top the list. It may be on your list of most hated too.
My mom tried to get me to eat them, and it was always a huge fight.
But now all the research is coming in showing these miniature cabbages are chock-full of important health benefits so it may be time to give these little green nutrition powerhouses another look.
The biggest problem I always had with them is my mom thought the only way to prepare then was to boil them. That is a major mistake. These are much better baked or fried with olive oil, so the vegetable is crispy and not runny.
So why would you think about giving this another chance? Well, consider the following:
These veggies contact glucosinolates. These chemical compounds break down into the body into indoles and isothiocyanates.
I know that hardly seems like a compelling reason but bear with me.
The glucosinolates and sinigrin are responsible for the bitter flavor in the sprouts, but this mellows out with the cooking.
These chemical compounds have been shown to inhibit the development of numerous cancers in animals including bladder, breast, lung, liver and stomach, according to research in Nutrition and Cancer published in 2001.
Brussels sprouts are part of the cruciferous vegetable family. These veggies decrease your risk of Type II Diabetes according to Primary Care Diabetes which reported this in August of 2016.
This is because this vegetable contains alpha-lipoic acid, which Frontiers in Pharmacology reported in 2011 is fantastic at keeping insulin under control.
On top of this, Brussels sprouts are chock-full of healthy Sulphur.
You are not stuck boiling or steaming the vegetable. Fry it up in bacon grease and you will have a fantastic, tasty treat.
I recently was at a restaurant which baked them with olive oil and topped it with cheese.
There was no bitterness, and when slightly crispy the texture was great, and flavor fantastic.
I am not one who is going to eat something “just because someone says it’s good for me, but it tastes horrible.”
Thanks to the internet, I don’t have to look far to find tasty ways to prepare foods that I used to dislike as a kid.
Don’t deny yourself all the antioxidant potential of this great superfood because no one showed you how to cook these nutritious powerhouses.
Try frying in olive oil with a little garlic and top with Parmesan cheese. It’s fantastic.
But I will admit, if you cook them wrong it’s like eating overcooked asparagus.
A serving of Brussels sprouts is low in calories. Only 28 calories a serving. It contains nearly all your recommended vitamin C. And as a bonus, you will get all the vitamin K you need for the day in one serving.
Cancer, diabetes protection and high fiber all in one serving of a vegetable that you can cook to make it taste great.
Maybe you need to relook at your most hated vegetable list.
