Detox
Brussels Sprouts
A compact cruciferous vegetable with a concentrated dose of vitamin K and the same sulforaphane-forming compounds as broccoli.
Detox
Immunity
Bone Health
Serving
1 cup, cooked (156g)
Calories Per Serving
56
Key nutrients
Vitamin K, vitamin C, glucosinolates, fiber
Nutrient density
672
Why it’s worth eating
Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins C and K, fiber, and glucosinolates with cancer-protective properties. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness. Serve them as a side or toss them into grain bowls.
What you may notice
Digestive comfort
Skin clarity
Markers worth tracking
Vitamin K and INR status
Liver enzyme panel
How to eat it
Roast at high heat rather than boiling, boiling both leaches nutrients and intensifies the sulfurous smell and bitterness.
Pairs well with
Healthy fats, helps absorb the fat-soluble vitamin K
A squeeze of lemon or vitamin C, brightens flavor and aids iron absorption
Storage
Refrigerate unwashed, untrimmed, in a perforated bag; use within 1-2 weeks.
The numbers, per 1 cup, cooked (156g)
182%
Vitamin K
7%
Vitamin A
108%
Vitamin C
4%
Calcium
10%
Iron
7%
Magnesium
11%
Potassium
0%
Vitamin B12
0%
Vitamin D
Fiber
4.1g
Brussels sprouts, cooked, boiled, drained (FDC 170382)
Evidence
D
Human biomarker RCTs exist and are worth citing, but they measure surrogate endpoints (enzyme induction, DNA damage) rather than clinical outcomes.
Study dose vs. serving
300 g/day cooked. A separate intervention (n=8) reduced PhIP-induced lymphocyte DNA migration by 97% and H2O2-induced DNA damage by 39%. Large but achievable serving.
Nijhoff et al. Carcinogenesis. 1995. Crossover, 10 healthy volunteers, 300 g/day cooked Brussels sprouts raised rectal glutathione S-transferase alpha and pi.
Use caution if
You take warfarin or other blood thinners, keep intake consistent given the vitamin K content
You have hypothyroidism, contains goitrogens; cooking reduces this
Details
Type
Fruits & Veg
Season
Autumn-winter, flavour improves after frost
Forms
Fresh, frozen
Price
Budget
Bioactive
Sinigrin (yielding allyl isothiocyanate), plus progoitrin and glucobrassicin
Heat stable
No - myrosinase is heat-inactivated. Chop raw and rest, steam lightly rather than boil, or add raw mustard or daikon powder to cooked crucifers to restore conversion.
Watch
GOITRIN: Brussels sprouts contain progoitrin, which hydrolyses to goitrin (5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thione), the most genuinely anti-thyroid of the common crucifer breakdown products - it inhibits thyroid peroxidase. Practically relevant only with very high raw intakes or iodine deficiency.
Reliability
4 / 5
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