All Hail Kale

I love kale. It is one of my favorite vegetables, and it is one of the most nutritious that you can eat. Kale provides great health like no other vegetable.The nutritional value is amazing. Kale food is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, protein, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, calcium, potassium, copper and manganese.

These are important vitamins because Vitamin C is not only good for your skin, it also helps to keep your immune system strong. It is loaded with beta carotene, which also helps your skin stay healthy and even helps ward off skin cancer. Calicum helps keep our bones strong and if you do not like milk this is a great option. And loads of fiber to keep everything moving which aids in weight loss.

In just one cup of chopped kale you will get 133% of your daily allowance of Vitamin A and 134% of vitamin C, and it is only 33 calories which makes it almost a perfect food. So why aren’t more people eating it when it is so good for you?

Well many people do not like the taste of kale. I say it is all how you cook it. Rather than eating potato chips, why not try some kale chips? They are super simple to make. Begin by just tearing the leaves into pieces and toss with some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, I like to add other things to it, organic onion salt, maybe cayenne pepper, even a bit of parm cheese. Heat the oven to 300 spread them out on a baking sheet that has parchment on it, (makes clean up really easy), and bake till crisp, about 20–30 minutes keep an eye on them so that they do not burn. You can even toss in some nuts and you will have a healthy crunch without the added calories.

Soups are wonderful with Kale in them. I really love a spicy organic sausage soup with quinoa and kale. It is great on a cold winter evening. And for breakfast? Throw some kale into your morning smoothie, but remember when you are making a smoothie just one serving of fruit please. If you like 3 flavors then cut the serving size of each into thirds then you will still only have one serving. This will help your sugar levels not to surge. I can’t tell you how many times clients come into my office on a fruit sugar high and I just watch them melt. They suddenly feel tired an lethargic and I can almost guess that they had a fruit smoothie with way too much fruit. Remember fructose (sugar from fruit) is still sugar and your body still has to pump out insulin to turn it into glucose for your body to use. Give it too much it does what it can and stores the rest as fat.

Kale is also great as a side vegetable. I love it this way; place about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add to it 1 small onion chopped, and cook until it just starts to brown add to it 1 clove of garlic minced and cook until fragrant about 2–3 minutes. Now add about 2 cups of kale. To ensure quick and even cooking cut the leaves into 1/2" slices and the stems into 1/4" lengths. Toss the kale with the onions and garlic and watch being careful not to overcook. Squeeze 1/4 lemon over the kale, toss again and top with crumpled feta and 1/4 c. chopped pecans. You will love this.

Leafy vegetables like kale are not only low calorie but are a great way to increase how much more food you get to eat without increasing calories so you can eat a lot and not gain weight. Numerous studies show that meals and diets with low energy density actually make people eat fewer calories. This also aids in fat burning.

Kale is delicious and nutritious. Kale has been studied more extensively in relationship to cancer than any other health condition. The nutrients of kale’s richness stands out in three r areas: antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients. Without sufficient intake of antioxidants, our oxygen metabolism becomes harmed and we experience”oxidative stress.” Without sufficient intake of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, our inflammatory system can chronically inflamed. Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation — and the are risk factors for development of cancer. There has been research studies on five specific types of cancer — including bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer — and intake of cruciferous vegetables (specifically including kale).the results of these studies definitely show cancer preventive benefits from kale intake.

If you have never tried kale I highly recommend that you do. It is delicious and nutritious and a wonderful addition to any meal. My Dad use to say, “Try it, you’ll like it!”

Resources

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2#ixzz57Ise7tNF

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38