Meet Kale, The Queen of Greens

By: Corrine

Kale is being called “the queen of greens”, “the new beef” and “a nutritional powerhouse”. Kale is an amazing green leafy vegetable full of minerals, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C. The health benefits of kale include heart support, cancer prevention, anti-inflammatory and detoxification.

Here are the top health benefits of kale :

1. Anti-Inflammatory
   Kale is rich in Vitamin K, an anti-inflammatory powerhouse. Vitamin K is a key nutrient for helping regulate our body’s inflammatory process. Omega-3s in kale is also an important part of kale’s anti-inflammatory benefits. A single cup of kale provides 10% of the recommended daily amount of anti-inflammatory omega-3s.
2. Antioxidant
   Kale is particularly rich in three main antioxidant vitamins in the world : Vitamin C, beta-carotene and vitamin A. This is important as our body is exposed to free radicals everyday through the chemicals in our water, toxins in our food and the polluted air that we breathe. Antioxidant are known to counteract the damage caused by free radicals.
3. Lower LDL Cholesterol
   You can count on kale to provide cardiovascular support in terms of its cholesterol – lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability. Biomed Environ clinical studies shows that kale lower cholesterol and increase the HDL : LDL ratio by up to 27%. Kale provides us with the cholesterol-lowering benefit whether it is raw or cooked. However, study has shown that steaming kale dramatically increases the cholesterol lowering ability. Steamed kale is actually 43% as potent as Cholestyramine, a cholesterol lowering drug.
4. Fight Cancer
   Large source of the organosulfur compound found in kale are a great natural way to prevent different forms of cancer. Organosulful is broken down into isothiocyanates, which help break down cancer cells. In addition, kale provides a healthy immune system which can be beneficial in the fight against cancer.
5. Bone Health
   Kale is rich in calcium and vitamin K. Inadequate intake of vitamin K has been associated with a higher risk of bone fracture as vitamin K improves calcium absorption. Calcium is needed for healthy bones and teeth, normal blood clotting and nervous system functions.
6. Detoxification
   Isothiocyanates component in kale is a natural detoxifier for our body. It helps remove toxins and also helps eliminate them from the body. Toxins in our diet such as processed foods, pesticides and environment pollution increase the toxic level of the body, so is important to remove the toxins from our body.