Lately, kale has become a buzzword in most health and diet circles.
So what exactly is it? Well, kale is similar to cabbage and cauliflower in that it’s a cruciferous vegetable. It comes in many forms, such as curly kale, Dino kale, and red Russian kale.
Typically the leaf shape and color vary depending on the type over the past few years kale has become a mainstream vegetable; people are just starting to realize the many health benefits of kale and referring to it as a superfood. So what is it about kale that has made it all the rage well research on the health benefits of kale has happened only in the past few years.
In today’s article, we’ll tell you what these benefits are they range from limiting your risk of heart disease to helping you fight cancer and many more… so keep reading.
1. Protect You Against Cancer
Kale is full of antioxidants, which can protect you against cancer, in one serving of kale, you can get enough antioxidants to help your body combat cancer.
Oxidative damage from free radicals contributes to cancer and aging, the antioxidants and kale work against the oxidative damage that free radicals caused helping you keep disease at bay.
It’s also rich in the indole-3 carbinol, which is also believed to combat cancer. Additionally, it contains sulfur of Fame, which has cancer-fighting properties on a molecular level.
You can make healthy kale chips at home preheat an oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit line a non-insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper then with a knife carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite-sized pieces, wash and thoroughly dry kale, drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt, bake until the edges brown but are not burnt for about 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Improves Bone Health
kale is perfect for your bone health as it’s high in vitamin K, which can modify your bone matrix proteins; it also enhances calcium absorption in your body, making your bones stronger.
Vitamin K has been shown to reduce your risk of osteoporosis and is a good source of calcium, which is vital in supporting robust bone health.
Try this natural and healthy kale smoothie:
- Place 2 cups lightly packed chopped kale leaves.
- 3/4 of a cup unsweetened almond milk.
- One banana and 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt.
Place it in a blender, Blend until smooth add more milk is needed to reach desired consistency, enjoy immediately.
3. Improves Your Eye Health
kale is an excellent source of lutein. That can help keep your eyes healthy along with other antioxidants that our president kale. It can also protect you against many eye diseases.
Kales dark green colors come from the nutrients Zena’s and thin and lutein; these two antioxidants are proven to protect against eye diseases, like cataracts and macular degeneration.
Kale also has an extremely high amount of vitamin A, one cup gives you 10,000 302 IU which accounts for over 200 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, Try dinosaur kale as it has a better flavor and is more tender than regular kale plus it’s less messy to chop.
4. Strengthens Your Immune System
Kale is a vitamin C powerhouse, one cup of kale gets you eighty milligrams of vitamin C, this makes up over a hundred percent of what your body needs daily. It even beats out oranges in terms of vitamin C content.
Vitamin C can boost your immune system and protect you from getting sick, kale also contains folate which is another known immune booster, the darker the kale leaves the more antioxidants it contains, which in turn boosts your immunity.
You can make an easy kale salad in five minutes with five easy ingredients, take fresh kale and chop it in a bowl, add lemon juice parmesan and nuts to it, toss until evenly combined season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste you can make this salad using any kale.
5. Protects Against Indigestion
You’ve most likely experienced heartburn; it’s that uncomfortable feeling in your stomach after a meal, sometimes accompanied by a burning sensation or pain in the abdomen. Other symptoms might include stomach growling bloating belching and gas and nausea or vomiting.
Calcium found in kale helps the valve between the esophagus in your stomach stay shut so that acid can’t travel up your chest and cause pain. Similarly, the magnesium, which is also present in kale, helps relax muscles within your digestive tract and also neutralizes stomach acid. Low magnesium levels in your diet can often lead to increased experiences of constipation? Consuming more kale is better at reducing illness than taking medical laxatives.
6. Keeps Your Kidneys Healthy
kale has certain minerals that have been proven to help keep your kidneys healthy; it’s rich in potassium, which can prevent various forms of kidney damage, including vascular tubular and glomerular.
Higher potassium dietary intake can also reduce the risk of developing chronic kidney disease or cause a regression in chronic kidney disease; inadequate potassium levels can lead to cyst formation in your kidneys, or cause interstitial nephritis.
As we told you earlier, kale also has magnesium, which, together with potassium, can protect you from cyclosporine-induced kidney damage.
7. Improves Heart Health
kale has a right balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are necessary for your heart health, omega-six fatty acids have been linked to a decreased risk of heart disease.
Kale is also a good source of potassium with about 8% of the recommended daily intake per cup but significantly fewer calories than most high potassium foods like bananas. Potassium is an essential part of heart health it has been linked to lower blood pressure because it promotes Razo dilation potassium has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease, the presence of vitamin K also helps increase blood clotting, and lack of it can cause illnesses.
Vitamin K might also reduce the risk of heart disease because, without it, mechanisms that stop the formation of blood cell calcification might become inactive.
8. keeps diabetes in check
One cup of cooked kale contains about 10% of your daily fiber needs; this makes it helpful for those managing diabetes. Increased fiber intake can help reduce your blood glucose levels, and can also reduce glycated hemoglobin levels. An increase in glycated hemoglobin is associated with diabetes complications, kale is also rich in sulfur content which is helpful for diabetes it’s essential for detoxification and glucose metabolism in your body which helps decrease weight gain and the risk of diabetes make this easy and healthy kale soup by sauteing garlic onion and potatoes in a little oil for a few minutes until they soften, then add in vegetable stock and let cook for 10 minutes once that’s done add chopped kale and milk and cook for a further 3 minutes.
9. Aids In Weight Loss
kale is low in calories and high in water, which makes it an excellent food for weight loss; it also contains fiber, which will help you feel full for longer and prevent overeating.
There are no guidelines for how much kale to eat for weight loss. Still, because of its low-calorie count, you can eat kale to your satisfaction and keep your calories per meal on the low-end kales high water content may also increase urination and help your body flush out excess water weight.
10. Detoxifies Your Body
kale has a definite role to play in support of your body’s detoxification processes, the isothiocyanates or ITC’s made from kales glucosinolates have also been shown to help regulate detox activities in your cells.
Most toxins that pose a risk to your body must be detoxified by your cells using a two-step process, compounds in kale have been shown to modify both detox steps favorably.
Also, the unusually large number of sulfur compounds in kale have been shown to help support aspects of detoxification as well.
Here’s how you can make some kale patties, clean and remove the stems from the kale then tear the leaves into 2-inch pieces, place into a steaming device and steam until the Leafs are wilted and bright green about 5 minutes, then place kale leaves into a food processor along with beans sunflower, seeds, basil, garlic, and lemon juice, pulse a few times until well blended, season the mixture with salt and pepper taste shape the mixture into four to 6 patties lightly oil the bottom of a medium skillet, and place over medium heat then place the patties onto a skillet and cook until browned on the bottom, flip and cook until browned on the opposite side stuff into buns add your toppings, and serve.
11. Improves Brain Health
Kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet for a reason; it has at least 45 different flavonoids, which can reduce the risk of stroke. Kale also contains 7% of your daily iron, which helps in the formation of hemoglobin, the primary carrier of oxygen to the cells of your body, and is essential for your muscle and brain health.
Kales omega-3 fatty acids are also suitable for brain health; it’s been shown to be necessary for your brain’s memory performance and behavioral function. The presence of sulfur of a NAND kale has anti-inflammatory properties that can help cognitive function, especially after brain injury.
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