All About Kale

Hey everyone! So I am sure everyone has been hearing a lot of Kale lately.. What is Kale? What is the big deal?

Well, Kale is a dark green leafy vegetable! It is chock full of antioxidants and vitamins. Kale is amazing for your body and immune system.

1 Cup of Kale contains 35 calories and 5 grams of fiber. It contains 40% of your daily magnesium requirements, 180% of your daily vitamin A requirements (great for your skin), and 1,020% of your daily vitamin K requirements. It also contains lots of amazing minerals like copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus.

As far as antioxidants go, Kale has tones of carotenoids and flavonoids. Which has been linked to great eye sight and great overall eye health, along with lutein and zeaxanthin compounds which are great for your eyes too.

One of the greatest things that Kale has to offer is Vitamin K. Vitamin K is necessary for a wide variety of bodily functions, including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity, and bone health. Many vegetarians and vegans eat a lot of Kale because it is known to help those who are anemic (which many vegetarians and vegans suffer from).

One of my favorite things is that it is great for your hair, skin, and nails (I know! Healthy by Choice is a big promoter of anything healthy for your hair, SKIN, and nails!). It is rich in omega 3 & 6 fatty acids.

Also the omega-3 fatty acids in kale help fight and alleviate arthritis, autoimmune 
disorders and asthma. Those of you who have chronic back, neck, or joint pain should try adding Kale into your diet. I will be posting the anti-inflammatory diet soon, and Kale is definitly a HUGE part of that diet.


Cooking Kale:

Kale can be eaten a number of ways, raw, steamed, baked, fried, sauteed- basically you name it you can cook it that way. One of Healthy by Choice's favorite ways to cook Kale is to sautee it and add it to eggs. I also sautee it with onions & bell pepper and my husband eats it just like that.

You can also bake Kale and make it into Kale chips. Basically, preheat your oven to 350. Chop up the Kale into larger pieces. Spray a cookie sheet with organic extra virgin olive oil, and lay the Kale out onto the pan. Sprinkle the top with garlic and kosher salt if you would like, then cook for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

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