By Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)

Did you know that cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, bok choy, brussels, cabbage, turnips, and kale can help to balance your hormones? 

Broccoli, along with the other vegetables in the cruciferous family, contains a natural substance called Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which can be converted to Diindolylmethane (DIM). Both chemicals support the excretion of used hormones such as oestrogen (endometriosis is linked to oestrogen dominance) by increasing the speed of the detoxification cascade. Current research is investigating the potential roles of certain plant chemicals called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates from Brassicas as anti-inflammatory compounds, which might contribute to a reduction in endometriosis symptoms. 

Broccoli soup

Ingredients

800g broccoli heads, roughly chopped

1 litre/1¾ pints vegetable stock

1 tbsp olive oil

1 finely chopped onion 

150ml/5fl oz natural yoghurt or cream (optional)

1 finely chopped clove of garlic

1 tsp ground coriander and cumin (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry until just softened. Add the chopped broccoli and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, or until the broccoli is tender.  Add the yoghurt or cream (optional) and stir. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the ground cumin and ground coriander and simmer for a further 1-2 minutes (optional) or season to taste as required with black pepper/pinch of salt. Blend and enjoy!

Interesting reading:

Hwang I.M., Park B., Dang Y.M., Kim S.Y., Seo H.Y. Simultaneous direct determination of 15 glucosinolates in eight Brassica species by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. Food Chem. 2019;282:127–133. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.12.036. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]