Sulfur-rich Veggies

The Wahls Protocol recommends eating three cups of sulfur-rich vegetables every day – that’s a lot!  I may not get to the entire three cups, but I’m finding ways to increase the amount of sulfurous veggies I eat.

First of all – which vegetables are these?  The cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower), the onion family (onions, shallots, garlic) and all types of mushrooms.

And why do I need to eat more of them?  Dr. Wahls says:

Sulfur is key because it nourishes mitochondria, removes toxins from cells, and helps create proteins and connective tissue necessary for joint, skin, and blood vessel health.

 I read an article in Mark’s Daily Apple blog that gives more detail about what these vegetables do for us, and some tips on cooking them to keep more of the good compounds, which can be destroyed by boiling or microwaving at high heat:

  

·      Chopping or crushing sulfurous veggies and letting them sit about 10 minutes before cooking seems to help keep the benefits during cooking

·      Using lower-heat cooking methods retains nutrients - steam instead of boil and if microwaving (which Dr. Wahls doesn’t recommend at all), use medium or low power.

Cabbage Family:

Stan and I have a start on this already, since broccoli is our “go to” vegetable.  When we’re at the store and don’t have an idea of what to get to go with our dinner, we always seem to wind up with broccoli.  I was boiling it, but am now switching over to steaming to retain nutrients.  I also love Whole Foods' Broccoli Crunch, with broccoli, raisins, red onions and a few other things.

We squirt on a bit of lemon juice and salt and pepper

We like Brussels sprouts, too, and have grown them in our garden with varying success – some years great, other years nothing.  We usually boil them for a few minutes and then saute in butter.  Here are a couple of other recipes:

Stan found Scallops with Blood Orange Gastrique in Bon Appétit

Brussels sprouts and apple hash from KCTS9 Cooks

Stan is Irish and introduced me to colcannon – essentially mashed potatoes with chopped cabbage mashed in.  The grandkids groaned when they saw what he had done, but I noticed they ate it all  : )  We also eat cabbage in wedges, cooked just enough to still be crunchy, with a little vinegar splashed on.

Cabbage wedge with vinegar also goes great with the chicken piccata sauce

I have been adding cabbage and onion to my breakfast, too, since reading a good recipe in The Abascal Way to Quiet Inflammation, by Kathy Abascal.   She recommends poaching a couple of eggs on a bed of sautéed cabbage with a few sun-dried tomatoes and some of the oil from the tomatoes.  I’m a bit lazier, so I just sauté the cabbage and tomatoes, and some onion or scallion, then scramble in one or two eggs.  Some fruit or a sliced avocado goes well on the side.

 

We like cauliflower and usually just combine it with broccoli occasionally, but Stan experimented with a “faux-tato” recipe and although it didn't quite fool me, it was very good.

Onion Family:

This is trickier for me as Stan doesn’t like onions.  He’ll eat shallots so we use those in place of onions a lot.  My son, Tyler, made creamed shallots on Thanksgiving.  I would never have thought of that, but they were sweet and a bit caramelized and delicious!  I’ve been buying scallions too, as I like the green color and it’s easy to chop one for my breakfast.

I don’t like a lot of garlic, but I’m making a point now of adding at least one clove when it’s called for in a recipe.

Mushrooms:

Stan loves mushrooms.  I didn’t, when I met him, but I had mostly had white button mushrooms raw in salads and didn’t know what I was missing.  Stan cooks all kinds, in many delicious dishes.  Some are only available during certain seasons, so we’re marking the calendar to remember to cook some favorite recipes when the mushrooms are available.

Stan's mushroom sauce for steak

Chicken breast with chantrelles and tomatoes in creamy sauce