Broccoli

Broccoli is a member of the brassica family of cruciferous vegetables - the same vegetable royalty that includes bok choy, cabbage, kale, kohlrabi and Swiss chard. These vegetables are excellent source of a family of anticancer phytochemicals called isothiocyanates.

Isothiocyanates fight cancer by neutralising carcinogens - the "bad guys" of the cancer battle. They do this by reducing their poisonous effects and stimulating the release of "carcinogen killers", speeding up their removal from the body. Studies have shown that isothiocyanates help prevent lung and esophageal cancer and can lower the risk of other cancers, including gastrointestinal cancer. Several isothiocyanates have been shown to inhibit tumors induced by chemical carcinogens. Broccoli in particular contains a potent isothiocyanate that is an inhibitor of mammary tumors.