Aside from supplementing with a bioavailable probiotic, feeding your body's microbiome with a diverse, colorful, and nutrient-dense diet is one of the best ways to improve your gut health. But every now and again, we come across new research that illuminates yet another way the foods we eat impact how our microbes function to support our health--including our immune health.
A study published in Cell Press Journal found that eating cruciferous veggies (aka brassicas) can help your gut's microorganisms signal and communicate to your immune system. That's in addition to all the nutrients they're packed with--including vitamin K, calcium, folate, and fiber.
We know some cruciferous veggies get a bad rap, but cooked right to bring out the best of their flavor, we promise they just might soon become some of your favorite plants to chow down on.
Ahead, we’ve pulled together 3 easy, delicious, and flexible recipes to help you get your brassicas in. Your gut microbes and your immune system will thank you for it.
Crispy Roasted Sheet Pan Broccoli
Image via Epicurious.com
It doesn’t get much easier than sheet pan recipes. And the best thing? There’s still a lot of flavor payoff. Broccoli becomes can’t-stop snackable after roasting in the oven, thanks to this 4-ingredient recipe.
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Coconut Creamed Greens
Image via Epicurious.com
This dairy-free creamed greens recipe goes pantry diving to bring all the warming comfort that regular cream does, but with the added flavor of toasted coconut. Feel free to mix up whatever hardy, cruciferous greens you have on hand—including different kinds of kale, Swiss chard, and mustard greens. To make it a full vegetarian meal (and amp up the fiber content), cook a can of (drained) chickpeas in.
Only have frozen greens? No problem. Just switch it up a bit to add the greens to your pan first, cooking them down until they’ve wilted slightly. Add 1 Cup of coconut milk, then more as needed to account for a bit of extra water from the frozen greens.
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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Warm Honey Glaze
Image via Epicurious.com
If you’re over a certain age, you may remember the days of mushy, overcooked brussels sprouts and shudder with horror. But if recent years and the gastropub revival have taught us anything, it’s that brussels sprouts are simply delightful when crispy and caramelized, thanks to the classic combo of salt, fat, acid, and heat. Roast these in the oven or throw them in a basket on the grill—then watch them disappear from your dinner table.
