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Kale: What's all the fuss about?

Virginie Dumas

What is so good about Kale for you and your family?

Well for one, it's very cheap and readily available; it's also very easy to grow as it's very resilient even in the most adverse climatic conditions.

It's very versatile as it can be eaten raw in juices/smoothies or lightly steamed, wilted or stir-fried, served as a side dish, mixed in quinoa, brown rice, as a pizza topping or in soups.

Health benefits & properties:

When it comes to nutritional value, Kale is pretty much as good as it can get! 1 cup provides 684% of your daily value in Vitamin K; 206% of your daily value in Vitamin A and 134% of your daily value in Vitamin C. It also has an impressive number of flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin, giving him a very high antioxidant activity protective against free-radical damage. It is the "Beef" of vegetables providing high levels of iron, calcium and protein. It's an excellent source of Essential Fatty Acids Omega 3 and Omega 6, which are crucial to regulation of blood clotting, and brain cell membranes building.

Nutrient rich Kale with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties is a powerful ally against numerous health conditions. It contains lutein & zeaxanthin which help to protect the eyes against macular degenaration. Kale has also been found to ease lung congestion and to be beneficial for the stomach, liver and immune system; it has been used in the prevention and even sometimes reversal of arthritis, heart disease and several autoimmune disease such as Lupus. Even more excitingly, Kale is being studied for its anti-cancer properties; it contains phytonutrient indol-3-carbinol, which aids in DNA cell repair and slows the growth of cancer cells. The sulphoraphane in Kale has been found to protect against prostate & colon cancer. Kale has also been found to have the highest protective effect against bladder cancer. 

 

Conclusion:

As far as "superfoods" go, I feel that Kale has legitimately earned its title and rightly deserves its name printed on a tee-shirt! What's more, you do not need to be famous or wealthy to benefits from its numerous health properties and it is well worth including it as part of a healthy diet for the whole family.

 

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