“Everybody keeps telling me to eat Kale. Seriously, what in the hell is the big deal about Kale! ”

I was talking to a group of writer friends last night and the subject of Kale came up randomly. Well, not so randomly actually. Someone asked what I was up to and I mentioned fingerlickinkitchen of course. Which another friend so lovingly described as: the place where I make “cookies out of water”. Not really what I do but, hilarious none the less. The conversation some how meandered to Kale to which the statement above was made. I love these sorts of conversations! It is fodder for me to write about but, also a concrete way I can help others in this maddening quest to breakdown the mystery around food! So yeah, what the hell’s the big deal about Kale?

First and foremost Kale is super delicious! Seriously it is! I know it seems a little scary at first because it’s large, green, and seems tough… but give this one a shot. You can cut it up into small strips and add it into your regular salad greens for some extra umph and texture. You can quickly sauté it or throw it into any dish like pasta, it goes great with meats, and for the most cholesterol lowering benefits do a quick 5 minute steam! I personally love Kale in my green juice (will talk about my juicing experience in another post) and I even add a shredded cup of kale into my morning smoothies from time to time. Yes, I know that sounds absurd BUT believe me you don’t even taste it.

Kale like any form of greens (collards, mustard, chard) can get a huge flavor boost by adding onions, garlic, shallots, or even leeks when cooking. There are different varietals of Kale: Curly Kale, Tuscan/dinosaur Kale, and ornamental Kale. They all differ slightly in color, texture, and taste. They also have slightly different nutritional values but on a whole Kale is a nutrition BEAST! There are vegetables and then there are SUPER vegetables and Kale is one of those.

So Yes, the second reason to eat Kale is its nutrition! One cup of boiled Kale provides more than approximately 1500% of your daily value of Vitamin K, 200% of Vitamin A, and nearly 100% of Vitamin C. It is also a good source of: manganese, dietary fiber, copper, tryptophan, calcium, Vit B6, potassium, iron, magnesium, Vitamin E, Omega 3, B2, B1, B3, protein, folate, and phosphorus. That’s a LOT of nutrients in one cup of greens!

Kale is a powerhouse when it comes to anti-oxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, phytonutrients, Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from glucosinolates. These all sound like big Greek words I am sure but, these nutrients are vital to help protect our bodies, down to a cellular level, from diseases/conditions, most notably different forms of cancer. How is that?

First let’s get some basics down.
1) An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions. (wikipedia) For example when you cut into an apple and the apple quickly turns brown…that is due to oxidation. If you used that “no brown” apple powder (my aunt uses it) then it slows/inhibits that enzyme that causes browning.
2) As far as our body is concerned without sufficient intake of antioxidants, we can experience a metabolic problem called oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
3) Oxidative stress and chronic inflammation are risk factors for development of cancer and other diseases.

Currently there are research studies looking at how cruciferous vegetables affect several specific types of cancer including: bladder, breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancer. These studies look at the intake of cruciferous vegetables (many specifically including kale) and cancer, to measure how it can be preventive, and in some cases, have treatment benefits for cancer patients.

Why else is it good for you? Well, the fiber in Kale keeps your cholesterol levels healthy. Whether raw or steamed, Kale’s fiber binds to the bile acid/salts in your digestive system. Bile acids/salts are created when the liver breaks down cholesterol. So, the more bile acids taken out of the body, the more the liver breaks down cholesterol, and viola your cholesterol levels stay in balance.

Why else? We hear a lot in the media about new ways of “detoxifying” our bodies. Most of these stories, in my opinion, are full of scams, fad diets, involve starving yourself, or include weird powders. However odd these fads maybe, it doesn’t change the fact that our body does in fact need to purge itself of both internally derived metabolic waste and externally derived waste like pesticides and heavy metals. Now, our body is created to do this on its own using our skin, liver, lungs, kidneys, and bowels. But, to keep those systems healthy we need proper nutrition, and there are also certain micronutrients, like sulfur and that hard to pronounce Isothiocyanates (ITCs) made from an even harder to pronounce nutrient glucosinolate, that can speed up/facilitate the detox process.

ITCs have been shown to help regulate/support the two phases of cellular detox. Phase I uses enzymes to prepare non water-soluble and non polar “waste’ for Phase II where it becomes water-soluble “waste” so that it can be carried out of the body naturally with the help of water. Hence one of the important reason our body is made up of 60% water. But, I digress. What’s unique about Kale is that it contains nutrients that work on BOTH phases of detoxification because it contains both with ITCs and is rich in sulfur (which is vital in phase II). So…Kale gives you a leg up when it comes to getting rid of toxins.

I could literally keep going on and on about Kale for pages… I didn’t even TOUCH the vitamins in this vegetable…but I won’t make this a behemoth manuscript. Instead, I hope this gives you the excuse you may need to add this awesome vegetable to your diet!

Bon Appetit!