What is so special about kale? It seems to be everywhere these days. A lot of people have a love/hate relationship with kale, quite like Marmite – you either love it or hate it. I love Marmite but I was not so keen on kale until recently when I tried a smoothie and added a handful to the mix. Honestly, I could not taste the kale at all. I now have tried it in a few other smoothies and I believe this is by far the best method of consumption as it is used fresh, hence none of the nutritional value goes to waste.

I used to have just about a handful of boiled kale with gravy along with mashed potatoes and a lean steak. I started to look into this superfood to see what all the hype is about and was pleasantly surprised with all the nutritional benefits that kale has to offer.

In this article, I am sharing Some of the main health benefits of kale so you too know what the hype is about.

Vitamins

Kale has so many vitamins that are important for our health such as Vitamin A, K and C. It also contains, Calcium, Potassium, Riboflavin, Magnesium and Folate amongst a few others.

Vitamin A – is important for your vision, immune system, and organ function, among other things.

– is important for your vision, immune system, and organ function, among other things. Vitamin K – plays a key role in helping the blood clot, preventing excessive bleeding.

– plays a key role in helping the blood clot, preventing excessive bleeding. Vitamin C – is an important vitamin and antioxidant that the body uses to keep you strong and healthy.

– is an important vitamin and antioxidant that the body uses to keep you strong and healthy. Calcium – is well-known for its key role in bone health.

– is well-known for its key role in bone health. Potassium – is important for muscle and nerve health.

– is important for muscle and nerve health. Riboflavin – plays a key role in metabolism, the process by which our bodies make energy.

– plays a key role in metabolism, the process by which our bodies make energy. Magnesium – keeps your heart healthy, bones strong, and blood sugar stable.

– keeps your heart healthy, bones strong, and blood sugar stable. Folate – is a type of B vitamin that’s key for cell growth, metabolism, and for pregnant women.

Information Source: WebMD

Contains Antioxidants

Kale compared to other foods including green tea, has a high percentage of Antioxidants

Antioxidants try to stop and break down free radicals, so they become harmless in our bodies. Cooking kale can reduce its antioxidant properties, it is best eaten raw or blanched.

Lowers Cholesterol

Kales helps to bind bile, a substance that is produced by your liver by using cholesterol from within your blood. In turn, less bile available in the digestive system hence more cholesterol is synthesized by the liver.

It Keeps Cold’s Away

Along with our champion orange, kale is high in Vitamin C which is an antioxidant, it may help to fight viruses, keep colds at bay and helps keep your autoimmune system strong.

It May Help In Weight Loss

Kale is a superfood in its own right. It contains fewer calories and provides more fuel for your body resulting in weight loss, it is shown in studies that low energy density foods can help you to reduce weight.

Has Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Depression is so common among us and not spoken about openly enough. Kale can help, as it contains Omega-3 Fatty Acids which have been used to treat symptoms of depression.

I hope the information above has provided an insight into the numerous benefits of kale. It is such a versatile vegetable that can be incorporated in your diet in many ways, you can add it to smoothies, make baked kale chips, steam or blanch it or even shred it and add to salads. Drop me a comment to let me know your thoughts on kale or if you’d like any kale recipe.