🥦 Sulforaphane: Your Quick-Start Guide

Sulforaphane isn't just "a vitamin"; it's a powerful matchstick for your body's internal defense system. This sulfur-containing compound helps your body detoxify and switches on a potent antioxidant mode.

What's the Catch?

It doesn't sit ready-made in the vegetable. It's "born" right there on your cutting board or in your mouth.

1. Cabbage stores its components separately: Glucoraphanin (the reserve) and Myrosinase (the enzyme/activator).

2. When you chop or chew the vegetable, the two components mix, and the enzyme creates Sulforaphane.

Where is it Most Abundant?

Look to the cruciferous family for the best sources.

• 🏆 Broccoli Sprouts: The undisputed champions. They have the highest concentration of the "reserve" (glucoraphanin).

• Mature Broccoli: A reliable, everyday source.

• Other Vegetables:

  • Cabbage (white, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)

  • Watercress

  • Mustard (its seeds are especially rich in the activating enzyme, so a pinch of mustard powder can "revive" sulforaphane even in cooked vegetables).

The "Activation" Rule

To get the maximum benefit, don't just dump whole broccoli into boiling water (that kills the activator—myrosinase).

The simple trick: Chop the vegetable and let it sit on the board for 10–40 minutes before you cook it. This gives the sulforaphane time to form.

It’s an easy life hack to turn your ordinary cabbage into a superfood!