Bitter vegetables. Sweet ending dates. Christmas food, Part I

As Christmas is only a few days a way I thought I would mention a few common Christmas foods that have the benefit of being great for our health (rather than concentrate on the less nutritious fare!). Brussels sprouts and dried dates are Christmas staples in many households and both of these foods have fabulous health giving properties.

Many of us remember being told to “eat your greens, they’re good for you”. The bitter taste of broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts is not one that many children crave. However, if we can acquire a taste for that bitterness and mature our palates to accept these flavours our health could benefit greatly. ‘Cruciferous’ vegetables of the Brassica family e.g. cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower seem to represent an important weapon in the fight against cancer.

Time and time again research has shown that a high consumption of fruits and vegetables is consistently associated with a reduced risk of cancer at most sites, as well as heart disease and many other health conditions. The World Cancer Research Fund is a charity dedicated to cancer prevention. They fund around one million pounds of research per year into the link between cancer, diet, physical activity and weight management. The WCRF state that scientists estimate that about a third of cancers could be prevented by eating a healthy diet, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight (1)

The conclusion drawn from many studies (too many to detail) and observations is that a high consumption of Brassica vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of many cancers and that consuming Brassica vegetables may be especially important in preventing cancer of the breast, prostate, lung and digestive tract.

The bitter taste of these Brassica vegetables is down to a set of chemical compounds, called glucosinolates, which they contain. More than 90 different glucosinolates are known to exist and it is the biological activity of these compounds that seems to be so important in cancer protection. The breakdown products of glucosinolates seem to have anticancer properties, they stimulate enzyme systems in the body that detoxify foreign, potentially cancer causing, compounds.

Brussels sprouts are a sort of ‘vegetable flower’ which are picked and eaten before they progress into a “real” flowers. They are related to the cabbage and were developed in Belgium many hundreds of years ago and given the name of the Capital city, Brussels. In addition to containing cancer preventative glucosinolate compounds they are also low in calories and high in nutrients, fibre, vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium as well as numerous phytochemicals (bioactive plant nutrients).

Perhaps it’s time we all acquired a taste for these bitter vegetables? Tuck into a few Brussels sprouts this Christmas day and it might be a sweet ending for health!

Thinking about sweets brings me seamlessly onto the humble dried date. There are always dried dates in my household over Christmas. My sister particularly enjoys these sweet treats and refers to them as ‘natures toffee’. However, there is more to this humble fruit than sweetness alone.

In 2003 a paper (2) was published in the international Journal of Food Science and Nutrition which was dedicated to the health benefits of dates. Dates are the fruits of the date palm tree (Phoenix dactylifera L). They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. The research paper found that there are at least 15 minerals present in dates including potassium, calcium, magnesium, selenium and zinc. Vitamin C and many of the B vitamins are also present.

Although dates are intensely sugary, with much of the natural carbohydrate provided within dates being fruit sugar, it appears that they actually release their sugar in a slow and sustained way into the body, this is probably down to their very high fibre content. Up to 12% of the date is dietary fibre and a large proportion of that fibre is pectin, a type of soluble fibre which holds water and forms a gel-substance in the stomach and intestines. Subsequently, food is more slowly released from the stomach and sugar more slowly released into the blood which helps us to feel fuller for longer. A few sweet dates as a snack will probably curb appetite, keep energy levels up and prevent us over-snacking while we wait for the Christmas dinner to be ready.

So go on, have a few sweet dates this Christmas!

(1)World Cancer Research Fund

(2) Al-Shahib W et al. 2003. The fruit of the date palm: its possible use as the best food for the future? Int J Food Sci Nutr. 54:247-259.

Written by Ani Kowal