Kale has long been touted as a 'green super food,' and rightly so when you consider the health benefits it provides.
The dark, leafy green has been on dinner plates since Roman times and is a commonly used green across much of Europe.
The vegetable hails from the Cruciferous family which also includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and everyone's favourite, brussel sprouts.
Kale is more popular than ever, which is great to see as it’s packed with plenty of vitamins and minerals.
With another crop now ready to pick from my garden and a new variety of Curly Leaf Kale that I purchased as seed from an interstate grower just leafing up, I'm looking forward to utilising this wonderful 'green' in as many ways as possible.
In smoothies, stir fries or a handful chopped up and thrown into a veggie burger recipe, there are so many fantastic ways to get your intake of a whole host of essential vitamins and minerals from a relatively small serve.
A little tip: always remove any hard stems from the leaves, as more often than not, these can add a slight bitterness to anything you add them to.
One of my favourite ways to eat kale is to make a batch of delicious kale chips, a healthy alternative to regular potato chips.
Kale is now readily available in supermarkets and green grocers. If you can't find it, ask in store to see if it's possible to order some in. Your body will thank you.
Some of the Health Benefits of Kale
At just 33 calories, one cup of raw kale has:
- Nearly 3 grams of protein
- 2.5 grams of fibre (which helps manage blood sugar and makes you feel full)
- Vitamins A, C, and K
- Folate, a B vitamin that’s important for brain development
- Alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. (While kale has far less omega-3 than fish, it is another way to get some of this healthy fat into your diet.)
- Lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients that give kale its deep, dark green colouring and protect against macular degeneration and cataracts. Minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc.
Comments
Post a Comment