Fresh food facts about cruciferous vegetables ... 

Each month I like to feature a vegetable, fruit or protein that can be added as a topper to your dog's meals or fed as a treat whether your dog eats kibble, cooked food, or a raw diet.

Let's do a review of the cruciferous group of veggies which include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, bok choy and collard greens. Yes, your dogs can eat these vegetables!

• Cruciferous vegetables are among the most researched group of vegetables for their impressive health benefits and anti-cancer compounds. 

• Sulforaphane is a compound in cruciferous vegetables that "has been shown to suppress tumor growth."

• Cruciferous vegetables need to be whizzed in the food processor before feeding them to your dog in order to activate the enzyme, myrosinase, which is needed to release the sulforaphane. (dogs don't chew so they need their vegetables 'pre-chewed" - gosh what an image!)

• Cooking makes cruciferous vegetables more digestible for dogs. However, if you need to cook these vegetables first, try to limit cooking time to about 3 minutes so that the enzyme myrosinase is not destroyed. Whizz in the processor after cooking.

• Cruciferous vegetables are high in fiber, loaded with anti-oxidants and are low calorie and low on the glycemic index.

• Cruciferous vegetables are known to cause gas in some dogs - so definitely start with just a very small amount to test tolerance, and increase very slowly.

• If one type of cruciferous vegetable doesn't agree with your dog, try another type since every dog is unique and one dog may do better with broccoli than with cabbage, for example.

Always test your dog's tolerance for new foods by offering a small amount of one new food at a time, and increase slowly over a few days. Remember that fruit can loosen the stool.