There are numerous benefits to kale! Let me just break it down for you and then provide you with one of my favorite recipes for Kale salad. I promise you are going to love it!
Kale is a natural anti-inflammatory. All disease in the body stems from inflammation. This means that Kale can help protect against many disease states including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and arthritis.
Kale is full of what’s called glucosinolates. Glucosinolates have been shown to prevent certain cancers like colon, breast, bladder, prostate, and ovarian.
Kale lowers cholesterol (probably due to it’s high fiber content!)
Kale helps with both phase one and phase two of liver detoxification
Kale provides high doses of Vitamin A, C, K, calcium, and manganese.
Kale is best steamed. The cooking process will neutralize the oxalic acid present. Kale, however, has a low amount of oxalic acid present. In my opinion, the benefits of eating Kale far outweigh the risk of consuming small amounts of oxalic acid. If you are someone who is prone to kidney stones, I would suggest only eating steamed or cooked kale. If eating raw kale, remember to put lemon on it, let it sit, and then massage the kale. The lemon actually helps to break down some of the fiber in the kale, making it easier for us to digest and absorb those healthy nutrients.
My Favorite Kale Recipe!
This recipe is for one head of kale.
Massage the lemon juice into the kale, ten minutes or so.
The reason you must use lemon with kale is to break down some of the fiber, otherwise kale really isn't a digestible vegetable. Kale: chop
Add 2-3 lemons worth of juice: Massage Parsley: 1Tbsp ( I have never added this ingredient myself) I Medium Avocado: Cut to small dice Handful of Kalmata Olives: Pitted, Cut in half (sulfite free olives at Trader Joes) Handful of plump Raisins Handful of Hemp Seeds, Pumpkin seeds, or Sunflower seeds (Hemp Seeds are my favorite) Fresh Ground Pepper (I don't usually add this myself)
Dressing: 1/3 Cup olive oil 1tsp of Himalayan Salt 2-3 garlic cloves in garlic press or finely chopped for a stronger garlic flavor.
Mix well and add to salad