If you’re looking for a nutrient-packed superfood to add to your diet, kale is a great choice. This leafy green is chock full of vitamins A, C, and K as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, and iron. It’s also high in fiber and antioxidants, and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, it’s super versatile and can be added to salads, soups, and smoothies. In this post, we’ll explore the health benefits and share some of our favorite recipes. We’ll also provide tips for selecting and storing these leaves, so you can get the most out of this delicious vegetable. So grab a bunch of kale and let’s get started!
Kale Nutrition Facts and Calories Chart
Kale is a powerhouse of nutrition and is often regarded as one of the healthiest vegetables available. It is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, and iron. Also packed with antioxidants, which can help protect the body from disease. Additionally, it is low in calories and high in fiber, making it an ideal food for weight loss. It is also a great source of plant-based protein and can help reduce inflammation, improve digestion, and promote overall health. Nutritional value per 100 g kale:
- Biotin: 6 µg
- Calcium: 94 mg
- Carbohydrates (Carbs): 6.7 g
- Chloride: 118 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Choline: 51.6 mg
- Chromium: 2.4 µg
- Copper: 0.2 mg
- Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
- Energy (Calories): 33 kcal
- Fat: 0.7 g
- Iodine: 3.2 µg
- Iron: 1.1 mg
- Magnesium: 22 mg
- Manganese: 0.3 mg
- Molybdenum: 7.2 µg
- Pantothenic Acid: 0.3 mg
- Phosphorus: 47 mg
- Potassium: 299 mg
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Saturated fat: 0.1 g
- Selenium: 0.5 µg
- Sodium: 33 mg
- Sugars: 1.1 g
- Vitamin A: 9377 IU
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 0.6 mg
- Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid): 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B6: 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B9 (Folate / Folic Acid): 80.4 µg
- Vitamin B12: 0 µg
- Vitamin C: 80.4 mg
- Vitamin D: 0 IU
- Vitamin E: 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K: 547.1 µg
- Water: 89.2 g
- Zinc: 0.2 mg
Kale in India
There are several different varieties of kale. Curly variety is recognizable due to its curly leaves, thick rigid stalk, and dark green color. Ornamental variety can have leaves that are green, white, or purple. Dinosaur variety has dark blue-green leaves. Each has a slightly different flavor, and any variety can be used to get all benefits. Even though it belongs to broccoli family, kale has seven times more beta-carotene than broccoli, 11 times more lutein, more vitamin K, and the highest ORAC score of any veggie. 1/2 cup cooked kale providing 600% of the daily value.
- Scientific Binomial: Brassica oleracea
- Common English: Ornamental Cabbage
- Ayurvedic
- Unani
- Sanskrit
- Hindi / Urdu
- Bengali
- Marathi
- Telugu
- Tamil
- Gujarati
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Oriya
- Punjabi / Sindhi
- Assamese
- Kashmiri
- Konkani
- Manipuri
- Dogri
- Bhojpuri
Vitamins and Minerals
Kale contains Protein, Dietary fiber, Thiamin, Carotenoids, Magnesium, Iron, B-Carotene, Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Vitamins C, A, K and E. Kale is cruciferous vegetable with sulforaphane content, which is an antioxidant and stimulator of natural detoxifying enzymes.
- Chlorophyll: Kale is chlorophyll rich, summer seasonal, green leafy high-nutrient vegetable, which has a powerful deodorizing effect in body. Leafy greens are alkalinizing and are beneficial for a sore throat.
- Calcium: Dairy is not the only source of calcium. Other food products such as broccoli, bok choy, kale, sardines, salmon, almonds and sesame seeds are also rich in calcium. 1 cup of kale is equal to 200mg of calcium content.
- Vitamin K: Kale is rich source of vitamin K content, which helps with bone formation. Vitamin K will help blood clotting, stop or prevent bleeding.
- Vitamins A and C: Green leafy vegetables, especially kale, are good source of this nutrient, as are kelp and alfalfa sprouts. Vitamins A and C are necessary for good dental health. For vitamin A, consume green vegetables like kale and spinach.
- Magnesium: Kale is the best food source of magnesium and is one of the good vegetable for hypoglycemia patient. People with constipation often have a magnesium deficiency. Green leafy vegetables are high in this mineral, as well as in fiber, so now you have another reason to eat kale. The minerals calcium and magnesium work together to help prevent headaches, especially those related to a woman’s menstrual cycle.
- Beta Carotene: In case of eye vision related complaints, consume spinach and kale, as these foods are high in the beta carotene, carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. These carotenoids have been reported to lower the risk of developing cataracts. The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin from kale help protect your eyes from UV light, which can cause cataracts. Eating kale everyday is good for optimal ocular health. A leaf or two of kale adds a rich flavor to your dish and plenty of nutrients to promote eye health.
- Indoles and Sulforaphane: Indoles and Sulforaphane present in kale may help cancer prevention, especially hormone dependent, such as breast and prostate cancer. Green leafy veggies such as kale and collards can also help reduce cravings, breast tenderness, and PMS weight gain by improving liver function, where hormones get broken down. One meal a day should be green leafy vegetables.
- Thyroid Health: Obesity and over weight may lead because of thyroid imbalance. This is the vegetable that inactivates the goitrogens, so that it is safe to eat for someone with low thyroid. Light soups and soft foods are ideal.
Side Effects
No health hazards known with proper use. When taken in large amounts can block the uptake of iodine into the thyroid. People with hypothyroid disorder should avoid high-iodine foods. In case of huge kale quantities, glucosinolate / isothiocyanate – containing crucifers might upset the thyroid.