Also called brassica vegetables, a family of vegetables that includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, and turnips.
Nutrient-rich vegetables from the cabbage family. Cruciferous vegetables are named for their four-petaled flowers that look like a crucifer or cross. Cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, and watercress are all cruciferous vegetables. Studies suggest that a diet high in cruciferous vegetables offers protection against colon cancer and rectal cancer. Some experts believe that substances found in cruciferous vegetables such as betacarotene, vitamin C, fiber, and indoles (plant chemicals that influence metabolism of the hormone estrogen) have cancer-fighting abilities. Cruciferous vegetables are rich in valuable nutrients and phytochemicals and are fat-free. They appear to contain indoles, which affect the way the body metabolizes estrogen, a hormone with a metabolism that has been associated with breast cancer.
A family of vegetables (including broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower) named for their cross-shaped flowers. People who eat a diet rich in these vegetables are found to have a decreased incidence of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and cancer, among other illnesses.