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[gloe]

Eat Your Broc!!

Steam up this anti-aging remedy

Your immune system ages along with everything else in your body. That's why you begin to succumb to various disease processes as you get older. We've all been trained to believe that it's inevitable, it's a part of aging—and just get used to it.

But new research is bringing fresh hope that you don't have to get used to it.

The only catch: You'll need to eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables.

Sulforaphane, a chemical found in broccoli and its relatives, has been found to actually boost antioxidant response in the body. Over time, our immune systems have taken a long-term assault from the byproducts released by our body's manufacturing processes. Those byproducts are the familiar "free radicals" you hear so much about.

There are pathways in your body that mount an antioxidant defense against these free radicals, fending off their damaging effects to your cells and organs. Oxidative damage is what leaves you open to infections, disease and cancer. And this damage is what ages you.

How well you fight off free radical damage may be a big factor in how fast you'll age.

Research with mature animals that were treated with sulforaphane showed an increase in their immune response that was comparable to young mice. Sulforaphane can stimulate those antioxidant defense pathways, making them more able to fend off free radical damage and limiting its aging effects on you.

Sulforaphone has been found to work with a protein that's responsible for regulating the launch of your antioxidant response. This protein can switch on hundreds of genes that are capable of rejuvenation.

Like a certain former president of ours, you may not care very much for broccoli. But there are plenty of selections left in the cruciferous vegetable family from which you can choose. Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and collard greens, bok choy and cauliflower are just some of the options from this healthful family. I recommend you lightly steam your cruciferous selections in order to retain as much of their vitamin content as possible. Find a way to include some with your meals every day.

Here's a tip: Don't feel you have to eat your vegetables "dry". It can be a bit boring. People quickly grow tired of eating vegetables this supposedly "healthy" way, so they tend to give up on them altogether or minimize their presence in their diet. Butter and olive oil are OK additions. Moderate amounts of real, unprocessed cheese are OK. The whole experience can be that much more pleasurable if you prepare your broccoli or cauliflower with some sort of natural fat, just as traditional food cultures around the world have been doing safely and pleasurably for centuries.