Death-Defying Food: Broccoli

When you really get down to it, one of the main objectives of life is to stay alive for as long as we can. On average, we occupy a place on this planet for about 75 years. Some of us hang around for a little longer, while others take an earlier ferry. Still, barring any unfortunate accident or contraction of a terminal illness at a younger age, 75 seems to be the norm.

Keeping your stay on this wonderful world of ours from being cut short sometimes requires a good amount of work (regular exercise, adequate amounts of sleep, stressing less, etc.). However, there are also some easy ways to prevent early departure, many of which involve nothing more than a revised grocery shopping list. For the next eight days, we'll offer one death-defying food choice each day to help keep you healthy and happy for many more years to come.

Death-Defying Food #1: Broccoli

Along with cauliflower, this cruciferous vegetable may prevent polyps that lead to colon cancer. Lab studies on mice, conducted at Rutgers University, found that sulforaphane, a natural chemical found in cruciferous vegetables, helped stave off polyps in mice that were genetically at risk for colon cancer. What's more, a separate study from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York shows that three daily servings of raw green vegetables can slash your risk of bladder cancer by as much as 40 percent.

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