Kale is a wonderful, versatile vegetable; it can be used in soups, stir-fry, wraps, chips, or mixed into any assortment of salad recipes. In addition to its many culinary uses, kale is a nutritional powerhouse among vegetables. It is loaded with numerous vitamins and minerals as well as bioflavenoids, carotenoids, indoles, sulfur compounds, essential fats, a wide spectrum of amino acids, chlorophyll and all the goodness that science has yet to discover(1).
Everyone can appreciate vitamins and minerals. Kale is very dense in many of them including Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folic acid, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sodium, magnesium as well as small amounts of many others. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory food due to many of the potent phytochemicals within the plant (2).
Bioflavonoids (phenols) are a group of over 4,000 water soluble compounds found in plants. They are typically bound to carbohydrate, and are freed up and absorbed as carbohydrates are digested. Kale is very high in a bioflavenoid called Quercetin. Quercetin is very powerful and has numerous health benefits associated with it, making it worthy of its own article. Quercetin facilitates the detoxification of an array of toxic heavy metals (Arsenic(3), cadmium(4,5), mercury(6,7), excessive iron(8), lead(9)), reduces histamine release (allergy symptoms)(10,11), and acts as a potent antioxidant within the body to name just a few researched potential health benefits(12,13,14,15).
Kale is loaded with Carotenoids (plant chemicals/antioxidants responsible for the vibrant colors of many fruits and vegetables)(1,2). Specifically, kale is high in the Carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which act as a potent nutritional source for the eyes, provide protection from oxidative stress in many parts of the eye, and can help prevent age-related macular degeneration and cataracts (16,17,18,19,20).
Indoles (a type of plant growth hormones) are compounds found in high quantities not only in kale, but in many cruciferous vegetables. Indoles protect against toxic estrogens and their byproducts and may indirectly and directly prevent cancer by maintaining gene integrity (p53 tumor suppressor gene)(21,22,23), increasing glutathione levels (potent antioxidant)(24), and reducing the cancer causing effects of estrogens (natural and synthetic, Birth control, plastics, etc)(25), Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines (created in burnt, char grilled, fried products)(26), and papilloma virus induced cancers (by regulating estrogen metabolism)(27,28).
Sulfur compounds in kale, specifically isothiocyanates and sulforaphane, are being studied for the prevention of numerous types of cancer by enhancing enzymes that block carcinogens and stimulating “apoptosis” or cell death of cancer cells(29). Sulphoraphane may also protect against the ability of air pollution to damage the respiratory system and enhance the activity of important detoxification enzymes (quinine reductase, Glutathione transferase)(30,31,32).
Kale, like many other green vegetables, is high in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is great for cleansing the blood (33,34). Its chemical structure is very similar to hemoglobin (oxygen carrying protein in red blood cells) which allows for easy turnover within the body. Chlorophyll is also a natural detoxifier and can help neutralize odors (35), and remove pesticides and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HHAs, carcinogen) from the body (36, 37).
Finally, kale has many essential amino acids and essential fatty acids needed for health and wellbeing. Kale contains all essential amino acids (amino acids that need to be obtained from diet), as well as many non-essential amino acids, and a good amount of essential fatty acids that play numerous critical roles within the body (38).
So, if you haven’t done so already, try incorporating kale into your diet and reap its many benefits. Here is a simple and delicious recipe to get you started.
Quick Kale Salad
- 2 cups of kale
- 1/4 – 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 lime or lemon
- 1 medium organic red bell pepper, diced
- 1 meduim organic carrot, shredded
Directions:
1. Wash the kale and tear it into bite-sized pieces.
2. Massage the avocado into the kale until the kale is completely coated.
3. Next, squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime/or lemon and mix with the avocado and kale. Then, add the diced red bell pepper and shredded carrots on top.
Sources:
1. International Network of Food Data Systems
3. Lee, K. M., et al. Protective effect of quercetin against arsenite-induced COX-2 expression by targeting PI3K in rat liver epithelial cells. J Agric Food Chem. 2010.
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5. Morales, A. I., et al. Effect of quercetin on metallothionein, nitric oxide synthases and cyclooxygenase-2 expression on experimental chronic cadmium nephrotoxicity in rats. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005.
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