While it’s well known that cruciferous vegetables are great cancer fighting foods, what isn’t well known is why this class of cancer fighting veggies are called cruciferous.

Fortunately, Alison Anton is a Nutritional Chef and Food Writer in Northern California, shares the origins of the name that is as formidable as their cancer fighting properties:

They are called "cruciferous" because, if given the chance to come to full bloom, these vegetables have flowers with four petals that resemble a cross - or crux in Latin. These veggies include arugula, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens and watercress.

Each one of these power-packed vegetables contain vitamins-a-plenty, mega-minerals and other substances that research has proven to be active forces in fighting disease. Says the Linus Pauling Macronutrient Institute , "One characteristic that sets cruciferous vegetables apart from other vegetables is their high glucosinolate content [that] can help prevent cancer by enhancing the elimination of carcinogens before they can damage DNA"

One of Chef Anton’s recommendations is the ultra powerful vegetable Kale. With more calcium than a glass of milk and in a form that is easier for the body to assimilate than milk, it is also super rich in cancer fighting carotenoids.

When I tried eating Kale, I was convinced it was probably the best food on the planet because it tasted so nasty!  Any recipes or suggestions to improve Kale’s taste?  Chef Anton?  Anyone?