Kale: The Clark Kent of Vegetables

Kale, glorious kale! I love kale, but it’s kind of bitter and kind of rough to eat in the raw. So I’ve always steamed or sautéed it, or spent countless hours munching away like a dinosaur, telling myself over and over again, “It’s good for me, it’s good for me, it’s good for me…”

What makes it so good for you? Why is it so popular? Is it more beneficial to eat raw or cooked? Keep reading to find out all the benefits of this super veggie.

Kale is well known for its nutrient-dense nature. One cup of chopped kale has 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206% of vitamin A, 134% of vitamin C and 684% of vitamin K! The super high concentration of vitamin K will help with many bodily functions including normal blood clotting, bone health and antioxidant activity. However vitamin K can cause problems for some people who take anticoagulants, the vitamin K may interfere with the drugs so speak to your doctor before you include kale in your diet! Kale is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

But that is not all!

Kale also contains eye health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds and the fiber content helpslower cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart disease, especially when cooked! Cancer studies show that kale is more beneficial when cooked, and cholesterol studies show kale is more beneficial when raw. Therefore a little bit of both is recommended in your diet.

But did you know there’s a way to make kale softer? And sweeter? And easy to digest? WITHOUT cooking it? Heck, I can even make it change colors. Want to know how?

You massage it. Yes, I just said massage. When you massage your kale, you will find that it softens up, sweetens up, and even noticeably changes color to a bright green!

So if the rabbit in the hat trick tires, try some good old kale massaging. How do you do it?

Here’s a kale salad recipe for you that I LOVE and make regularly:

On a side note, that adorable little French Bulldog belongs to my friends Andrea. Her name is Penny and you can follow her on Instagram @snort_pig_penny

The Most Delicious Kale Salad

Kale
Lemon
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Avocado
Green apple
Dried Cranberries
Walnuts

First off, lets save the time of chopping. You can simply wrap your hand around the base of the stalk and pull upward. The leaves will come right off, and from there you can rip them into pieces with your hands. Toss the stalk (no one likes the taste of this anyway, so why force yourself to eat it?). Plus ripping up the leaves is way more fun than chopping.
Take your ripped up, raw kale and put it in a large bowl. Sprinkle on some lemon juice, avocado, olive oil and a bit of sea salt.
Now here’s the messy part. Stick your hands in and massage! You may feel like you are assaulting your greens and thats okay! We’re all adults here. At first you will hear lots of crunching noises. Then it will begin to soften up, shrink down in size, sweeten up, and literally change color! Add in some shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, and raisins. Massage them in as well. The avocado gets a little messy, but it will coat the kale, making it a creamy dressing.
Enjoy!

Want more cool wellness tips and recipes? Stay in touch by leaving your name and email below!

[mc4wp_form]

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-kale?page=2

http://health.heraldtribune.com/2012/09/25/kale-good-nutrition-for-you-

just-dont-overdo/

Kale: The Clark Kent of Vegetables

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Recent Posts