Brussel Sprouts are very important nutritionally because they have a long season and are one of the top providers of vitamin C, a cupful weighing 100g (4oz) will give, when raw, over 100mg of vitamin C, which is more than twice as much as the same weight of orange.
After boiling, the vitamin C goes down to 35mg per 100g - a good example of the benefit of using the whole raw brussel sprout juice to obtain the best nutritive value. If you do want to cook the brussel sprouts as a vegetable it is wise to remember that it is best to steam them until just tender in as little water as possible, which should be fast boiling before the sprouts go in.
Any remaining water can always be used for soup or in gravy. Why throw vitamins and minerals from the brussel sprouts down the sink? Brussels sprout juice is often used with runner or string bean juice to assist in the treatment of diabetes in adults. Children who have diabetes often do not have the ability to produce insulin, but in adults it can happen that there is a defect not in the production but in the supply.
Diabetes can be a serious condition unless it is expertly managed by a qualified practitioner who will advise on individual treatment, but the Brussels sprout and runner bean mixture has been reported to be a valuable aid to treatment. Brussels sprout is a variety of the cabbage family. The early Dutch gardeners were not only skilled at creating new varieties of tulip, they also produced a number of new vegetables by selectively breeding with wild cabbage (Brassica maritime).
