Do you eat enough cruciferous vegetables?

The latest research shows that these nutritional powerhouses can help the body improve or heal itself from many ailments, including cognitive impairment such as memory loss, vision problems such as macular degeneration, and neurological issues such as stroke.

They are one of the best tools in our arsenal for reducing inflammation, which is implicated in many chronic diseases, and they have lots of other benefits as well.

Of course it goes without saying that you should always buy organic in order to avoid pesticides.

The list of cruciferous veggies, or crucifers, goes well beyond just the familiar broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.

It also includes more exotic choices such as daikon radishes, wild arugula, and mizuna -- even broccoflower, which is a hybrid of broccoli and cauliflower. You can even find cauliflower in colors such as golden or purple!

The easiest way to know a cruciferous veggie is by its slightly bitter taste. Sulphur compounds give them that taste, and are also part of what makes them so healthful.

And although it's not a vegetable, Kare's Micronized Purple Rice powder helps with the absorption of nutrients from these nutritional powerhouses. It also helps to decrease inflammation in the body.

You might be wondering whether it's best to eat cruciferous veggies cooked or raw. The short answer is that it depends on which cruciferous vegetable, and on your own body.

For some, too many raw cruciferous vegetables can lead to or exacerbate hypothyroidism or goiters. Having a big glass of raw kale juice every day might be a bad idea for that reason. This is mainly true for people with low iodine.

I like to include a bit of raw kale or spinach with my celery/cucumber juice, or in smoothies, but I mostly eat my crucifers lightly cooked.

One thing about eating crucifers raw is that they're at their best when freshly picked, i.e., within 48 hours. That's when their enzyme activity is strongest.

So if you garden, you're way ahead of everybody else. If not, local farmer's markets often have veggies that were picked that morning.

And today on the blog, I'm giving you five other reasons to eat more cruciferous veggies.

To read the blog, CLICK HERE or on the picture below.