Our #1 most frequently asked question is: “What is going to be in the boxes anyway?!”.
We will talk soon about the core vitamins and supplements, but we thought we’d take a minute to share a little in-depth about one of the extra things you will be getting, and why!
Broccoli doesn’t get enough credit nowadays. There is something far more impressive, and medically relevant, about broccoli, that it’s time we started talking about it. In fact, on of the Drs. that was instrumental in helping Rachel was so passionate about the benefits of Broccoli sprouts that he got us started on this wild sprouting adventure.
Take a listen to this conversation we had with one of our friends about this very thing!
Broccoli has a pretty cool defense mechanism in the wild. When a bug or any other animal breaks the skin on the plant, it creates a very bitter tasting substance called Sulforaphane.
Decades ago, Researchers found some pretty crazy links between this defense mechanism, Sulforaphane, and many different human health conditions like Heart disease, blood pressure, Diabetes, and……Cancer!
Specific to cancer, Sulforaphane has been shown in clinical studies to reduce cell inflammation, induce cell apoptosis (a type of cell death we want to initiate for cancer cells!!), and prevention of future disease or relapse.
Essentially, sulforaphane is a highly effective cancer-fighting-and-preventing compound that we can introduce to our lives TODAY.
Here’s the thing though, The amount of sulforaphane found in store-bought broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables is pretty limited…and cooking broccoli reduces ten-fold the levels we consume. It becomes nearly negligible amounts of sulforaphane in our diets and thus most people don’t see the real potential benefit from consuming these vegetables.
This is where researchers at Johns Hopkins in 1998 had a breakthrough.
They found that the Sulforaphane levels found in in newly sprouted broccoli were up to 100x more potent than that found in the mature plants we normally consume. It was a revolutionary breakthrough at the time. The younger the plant, the more protection it should have for itself.
This is what Rachel and I learned in the first few weeks of her diagnosis and what led us to dozens of batches of our own sprouts. Here’s how we did it:
How to Sprout Broccoli Seeds:
1. Add 2-3 tablespoons of broccoli seeds to a sprouting jar. Fill with water, let it sit for 10 hours, then drain water completely from jar. Place the jar each day in the cupboard, in darkness. Always keep the jar upside down, leaning on a 45-degree angle inside a larger bowl, to allow any excess water to continue to drain out.
2. Twice daily, morning and evening, rinse seeds with fresh water and then drain all water off. The seeds should be moist. Never let the seeds sit in standing water or they may spoil easily.
3. Sprouts are ready in 3-4 days. Separate handful-sized quantities put in zip-lock baggies and then store in a freezer.
Day 5
How to Eat Your New Sprouts:
It’s easiest to eat these sprout in small smoothie form. They can taste pretty bitter (obviously), so making something small that can be drunk in a couple gulps is best!
Add the contents of 1 zip-lock bag full of sprouts to your smoothie, along with 4-6 ounces of water, and blend. Let it sit for 3-4 minutes after blending to allow the glucoraphanin to be fully converted to sulforaphane. Add juice from a freshly squeezed lime to neutralize any unpleasant taste before consuming the contents.
Drink fast!
So, there you have it! One of the many things that will be in our month one subscription box: everything you need to get started on your sprouting adventure!
Plus, we are in talks with a farm in kentucky that took on the task of breeding a hybrid broccoli seed with the highest documented sulforaphane potential. We want to ensure that the seeds we provide are the MOST effective out there.
We’re looking forward to sharing more posts on what else will be in “The Cancer Box”!
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