Power up your diet with this super star vegetable.

Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD

Move over Popeye and make room for the ‘queen of greens’ kale. Gaining in popularity, kale is an amazing vegetable being recognized for its exceptional nutrient richness, health benefits and delicious flavor. 

Eating a variety of natural, unprocessed vegetables can do wonders for your health but choosing super nutritious kale on a regular basis may provide significant health benefits from cancer protection to cholesterol lowering.

Kale, also known as borecole, is one of the healthiest vegetables on the plant.  A leafy green, kale is available as curly, ornamental or dinosaur varieties.  It belongs to the Brassica family that includes cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. 

What makes kale so exceptional? It is chock full of disease-preventing and health promoting antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer nutrients.

Kale is a Nutritional Powerhouse

One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and 15 percent of daily requirement for calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40 percent of the magnesium, 180 percent of the vitamin A, 200 percent of the vitamin C and an unbelievable 1020 percent of the vitamin K.  It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus.

Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K and sulphur containing phytonutrients.

 Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds.

Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw.

Super Rich in Vitamin K

Eating a diet rich in the powerful antioxidant, vitamin K can reduce the overall risk of developing or dying from cancer according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Vitamin K is abundant in kale but also found in parsley, spinach, collard greens and animal products such as cheese.

Vitamin K is necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity and bone health.  

But too much vitamin K can pose problems for some people. Anyone taking anticoagulants such as warfarin should avoid kale because the high level of vitamin K may interfere with the drugs.  Consult your physician before adding kale to your diet.

Kale might be a powerhouse of nutrients but is also contains oxalates, naturally occurring substances that can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Avoid eating calcium rich foods like dairy at the same time as kale to prevent any problems.

Eat More Kale

In summer, vegetable choices abound but during the cooler months there are fewer in-season choices with the exception of kale and other dark leafy greens that thrive in cooler weather.

Look for firm, deeply colored leaves with hardy stems for the freshest kale.  Smaller leaves will be more tender and milder in flavor. Leaves range from dark green to purple to deep red in color.   Store unwashed in an air tight zipped plastic bag for up to five days in the refrigerator.

Easy Ways to Prepare Kale

Quick cooking preserves the nutrients, texture, color and flavor of kale.  Rinse, chop it finely and add it soups, stews, stir-frys, salads, egg dishes, casseroles or top it on pizzas for added nutritional goodness. Steam kale for five minutes to make it tenderer or eat it raw.  You can also substitute it for spinach or collard greens in recipes.

Other fast and easy ways to prepare kale:

• Make a simple salad with a bunch of thinly sliced Kale, red pepper, onion, raisins and your favorite salad dressing.
• Braise chopped kale and apples, garnish with chopped walnuts and a splash of balsamic vinegar
• Toss whole grain pasta with chopped kale, pine nuts, feta cheese and a little olive oil
• Cover and cook a pound of chopped kale with a few garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes; season with salt, pepper and a tablespoon red wine vinegar.
• Make kale chips by slicing kale into bite size pieces tossed with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and bake for 10-15 minutes in 350 oven.

All vegetables are rich in nutrients and fiber, fat-free and low in calories and are intended to be the cornerstone of all healthy diets.  Toss kale into your grocery cart to enrich the nutritional goodness of your diet and help you eat the recommend 4-5 servings of vegetables every day.