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Your parents have probably told you to eat your broccoli and maybe now you are telling your kids too… but it's true: you SHOULD eat your broccoli or other cruciferous vegetables every day!
These veggies are actually full of nutrients that help your liver metabolize estrogen the right way and that's very important for us women over 40 in order to keep our risk of fibroids, breast cancer, polyps and company low.
What Are Cruciferous Vegetables?
Cruciferous vegetables belong to the Brassicaceae family and include a variety of nutrient-dense plants such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy. Yep indeed the stinky ones! But beyond their smell, they have a high content of vitamins C, E, and K, fiber, minerals (calcium, magnesium, and potassium), and phytonutrients and glucosinolates that play a crucial role in overall health but they’re especially important for hormone health.
Actually, broccoli sprouts are even better than broccoli: if you can eat these daily, that will be your ideal nutrient to support your estrogen metabolism.
Hormone Regulation Benefits
These glucosinolates are converted into bioactive compounds like indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and diindolylmethane (DIM) during chewing and digestion (you need to make sufficient stomach acid so that your body can convert the indole-3-carbinol (I3C) from the cruciferous vegetables to DIM). I3C, DIM and sulforaphane help regulate your estrogen metabolism, promoting the conversion of estrogen into its safer, less potent forms, thereby reducing the risk of estrogen dominance, fibroids, and hormone related cancer - a common issue during perimenopause. If you want the hormone balancing benefits, you need to eat them raw or slightly steamed though - the cooking process will unfortunately kill those glucosinolates.
Detoxification and Estrogen Metabolism: In order to decompose and detoxify estrogen, your liver needs di-indolyl-methane (DIM). DIM comes from indole-3-carbinol. When these foods reach the stomach, indole-3-carbinol is broken down by the stomach acid. DIM is then released as a by-product.
Liver Support: The liver plays a vital role in hormone regulation by metabolizing and clearing excess hormones from the body. The sulfur-containing compounds in cruciferous vegetables (sulforaphane) enhance liver function and improve its ability to detoxify hormones and other toxins.
Thyroid Health: You may have heard that cruciferous vegetables contain goitrogens, which have been said to interfere with thyroid function. However, if you don’t consume excessive raw amounts they are totally safe to eat.
In this study researchers concluded that though collard greens, Brussels sprouts, and some Russian kale (Brassica napus) contain enough goitrogenic compounds to potentially decrease iodine uptake, that’s not true for all cruciferous vegetables. The researchers found that turnip tops, broccoli, broccoli rabe, and kale contain less than 10 μmol of goitrogenic chemicals per serving of 100g, concluding that those foods can be considered minimal risk. And that is even further minimized by consuming these foods cooked rather than raw. There is no evidence that cruciferous vegetables slow down your thyroid function.
How Much Do You Need?
You can probably imagine that the amount of DIM your body is producing from a serving or two of broccoli isn’t going to be enough if you’re in a state of excess estrogen. You’d need to eat about 6 pounds of these vegetables a day to get a therapeutic dose of DIM.
Now you may think: “Can’t I just supplement with DIM or sulforaphane”? Yes indeed you can, but be warned that taking DIM as a supplement will actually tank your estrogen levels which is probably not what you want unless you’re taking a strategic approach to it. I mean to say: don’t go and take random supplements without working with a practitioner who knows what they’re doing when it comes to hormone balancing.
Conclusion
Cruciferous vegetables are a powerful ally in maintaining hormone balance, particularly for women experiencing perimenopause. Their unique nutrient profile and bioactive compounds support estrogen metabolism, reduce inflammation, enhance liver function, and promote overall hormonal health.
Aim for at least 1 serving each day and top up your estrogen detox with broccoli sprouts and also eating raw varieties of the crucifers.
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