The benefits of cabbages

The cabbage family (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, red and green cabbage, etc.) are important foods in these days of hormone-altering pollutants.

Cabbages contain a chemical that helps our bodies process estrogen in healthy ways. (It's called dim - diindolylmethane - you might be taking it in supplement form.)

It's not only women who need be concerned about the estrogen in their bodies. Many plastics contain estrogen-mimicking chemicals. The World Wildlife Fund did studies 20 years ago that found that there were so many synthetic estrogens in the environment that male animals (crocodiles in Florida, fish in the Great Lakes) were being born with both male and female characteristics, presumably caused by the hormone-disrupting pollutants in the water they lived in.

Hormone-disruptors (found in plastics, pharmaceuticals, and chemical pesticides and fertilizers among other places) are chemicals that change the way hormones work in the body. Small amounts have adverse affects. The challenge is that we don't yet know the long-term effects. We can see, however, that hormone-induced cancers are on the rise.

This is where the cabbage family comes in.

To put it simply, estrogen (along with the synthetic estrogens from plastics and pharmaceuticals and the phyto-estrogens from soy) can promote bone density, youthful skin, heart health and more. Or it can metabolize in ways that lead to cancer.

Eating cabbages helps it be used for good.

Kind of amazing, eh?

To learn more about the benefits of cabbages, click here.

I'm sharing the following recipe for Cauliflower Curry because I think cauliflower too often gets overlooked as a bland vegetable to be draped in cheese sauce. Yet it goes really well with coconut milk (also full of health-promoting properties). The tumeric turns it an eye-catching yellow, and is a potent anti-inflammatory.

If you like a mild curry, use one serrano pepper. If you don't like tofu, omit it and cut back the coconut milk to one cup (store the remainder in the freezer until you need it).

Make sure your spices are fragrant. Ideally, buy the cumin and coriander whole and grind them in a spice grinder.

Serve the curry over brown rice, maybe with some greens on the side for a stunning color contrast. It will be a vibrant and healthy meal. And you won't look at cauliflower in the same way again.

Cauliflower Curry
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
3 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (about 3/4 lb after trimming)
1 cup coconut milk
1 lb firm tofu, diced 3/4 inch thick
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1 tbsp lemon juice, optional

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and when it's hot add the onion and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, ginger and serranos and cook 2 minutes more. Add coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, mustard seeds and salt. Stir until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add cauliflower and toss to cover with the spices. Add coconut milk, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu and zucchini and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 more minutes. Squirt in lemon juice at the end, if desired.

Serves 4.