This is a very easy dish to make but you will need to start your broccoli sprouts about four days before you plan to make it. You will have to soak the broccoli seeds overnight and allow them to sprout for three days. After three days the sprouts will have the highest concentration of glucoraphanin - a natural precursor to sulforaphane. In fact, three-days old broccoli sprouts contain up to 100 times more glucoraphanin than mature broccoli thus making this compound more available to the body.
When the sprouts are chopped or chewed on, the enzyme myrosinase combines with glucoraphanin and converts it to sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is an antioxidant compound found in all cruciferous vegetables. This sulfur-rich compound is believed to have anti-cancer properties and be especially effective against breast, prostate, and urinary cancer cells.
In the body, sulforaphane acts at the cellular level where it activates a Nrf2 pathway - a body's own antioxidant and detoxification defenses. Studies have demonstrated that the sulforaphane may in fact block the very first stage of cancer genesis by inhibiting enzymes that convert harmless substances into carcinogens. At the same time, it also activates detoxification enzymes that remove these carcinogens from the body.
Sprouting the broccoli seeds
To sprout broccoli seeds you will need a sprouting jar and organic sprouting broccoli seeds. Add 1 tablespoon of the broccoli seeds to a medium large jar, pour in filtered water and close the jar with a sprouting lid. Allow the seeds to soak overnight. In the morning, pour out the water and rinse the seeds. Let all the remaining water drain out completely. Set the jar on a sprouting rack and cover it with a clean tea towel. Rinse the seeds at least twice daily. Repeat this for three days. Harvest on the third day, short before the sprouts produce their green leaves. This is the time when the sprouts have the highest glucoraphanin content. Your sprouts are ready to use. Transfer any leftovers to another jar and close it with a regular lid. Store the sprouts in the fridge and consume within three days while your next batch of seeds is sprouting. Make small batches to always have the freshest sprouts.
Hearty Breast Cancer Prevention Salad Bowl
Recipe serves 2
Ingredients:
for the salad
- 1 medium large spiralized kohlrabi per person
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage per person
- 1/2 small shredded carrot per person
- 1/2 cup broccoli sprouts per person
- 1/4 cup sauerkraut per person, optional (I used my Homemade Borscht Sauerkraut)
for the dressing
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp freshly pressed lemon juice
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard (sugar and additives-free, if possible)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
garnish
- 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
- handful chopped activated walnuts
- baby greens
- edible flowers, optional
Method:
- In a small bowl or a personal blender, whiz the salad dressing. Adjust the taste to your personal liking.
- Arrange the spiralized kohlrabi and all the other ingredients in two bowls. Garnish with pomegranate arils, chopped walnuts, baby greens and edible flowers, if using.
- Serve the salad with the dressing on the side and enjoy it in good company!
Quick note about the ingredients
Just like the sulforophane containing broccoli sprouts, cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and kohlrabi, pomegranates, walnuts and sauerkraut are known for their anti-tumor properties. Ingredients in my salad dressing, including olive oil, garlic, thyme, and mustard, demonstrated anti-breast cancer properties in a laboratory setting and are well known in many cultures for their health preserving qualities.
Every October women of all ages all over the world are reminded of the dreadful disease that accounts for 30% of all new cancer cases diagnosed each year. The disease also affects men but with 1% of cases it is rather rare.
I always believed that prevention is better than cure but I am also aware that breast cancer is a very complex disease. Different subtypes may require different therapeutic approaches and have a different survival prognosis. Some foods, for instance, are contra-indicated for hormone sensitive breast cancers, while other subtypes may profit from the compounds in that very same food. Sesame seeds contain powerful lignans such as sesamin and sesamolin. These compounds may slow tumor growth and induce cancer cell death but they are contraindicated to patients with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer because once digested, the sesame lignans convert to estrogen-like compounds that may actually stimulate the growth of cancer cells.
But it is not always the hormones, and it's not always the genes. Our lifestyle and the environmental factors contribute to about 90% of cancer genesis of all cancers, and play an increasingly growing role in the development of breast cancer.
In a recent study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists identified 920 chemicals linked to increased breast cancer risk. These chemicals are present in food, drinking water, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods such cosmetics, personal care and hygiene products, detergents and household cleaning products, fabrics, furniture, building materials, and pesticides. Annually, tens of millions of pounds of these chemicals are released to the environment making an escape from the exposure extremely difficult if not impossible.
We can try to minimize our exposure but we cannot completely avoid it because even if you install a water filter in your house, remove everything that contains offensive chemicals, use clean beauty products and eat only organic foods, at some point you have to leave your home to go shopping or go to work and breathe the air that is not pure or drink water that is not filtered. Exposure is ubiquitous and unavoidable.
The beauty industry is a big culprit. Putting a pink ribbon on a product that contains harmful, cancerogenic chemicals, does not make the product safe. Some chemicals do not even have to be listed and are hidden in ingredients such as "fragrance". This is why knowledge may save lives. Stay informed, do your own research, educate yourself to minimize your exposure whenever possible.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2026
More information about BC chemicals here
Also of interest:
Food For Breast Cancer website
Breast Cancer Research Foundation
*Information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, consult you oncologist or an oncology nutritionist before you try new recipes or make any changes to your nutrition.