For the love of kale…..
Kale is everywhere at the moment and seems to be the talk of the town - apart from the outrageous outfit choices of Kim Kardashian when she’s pregnant. Yet does anyone really know why we’re trying to eat heaps of it and why we’re trying to convince our taste buds that ‘kale chips’ really taste like kettle chips? The truth is sadly no and to make matters worse sadly they don’t taste like them odd yet oh so perfect yellow shaped salty things in pretty silver lining packets.
So here’s a quick insight into why we should all hail King Kale :
Kale is what we call a leafy green cruciferous vegetable. These are part of a big family name called BRASSICA (I remembered this for my last year exams by thinking ‘bras in a car’, you can’t really forget the name then). Think almost as if they belong to that strange side of the family that no one really hears about until they’ve reached at least 20 (don’t lie we all have that group in the family tree somewhere). Other vegetables that belong to this family are cauliflower, spinach and broccoli.
Many people may assume that all green vegetables do the same, but they really don’t. Generally it is best to go by the simple guide, that the darker the green the better. The darker the green the more folate, fiber and vitamins they contain, hence why kale is King.
I always hear that meat is the ideal food source to eat when you may be experiencing tiredness/weight loss or any other symptoms that are commonly associated with anaemia. Yet per calorie kale has more iron than beef, and interestingly the number of non-vegetarians with iron deficiencies is actually on the rise.
Same goes the same for calcium, which according to the big dairy companies is only found in yoghurts, milk and cheese. Wrong, kale has more calcium per calorie compared to milk, and the calcium in the kale is also absorbed better, compared to the calcium present in milk. These companies get paid A LOT to make you believe things, trust me.
One mug of kale contains 10% of your recommended intake of omega- 3 fatty acids, and these bad boys are literally the coolest of the clan when it comes to anti-inflammatory properties and lowering the bad fat in your blood, helping to reduce all kinds of disease.
Antioxidants help counteract free radical damage to our cells (basically they help stop a take over in our body making us potentially destructive, if you’ve seen the movie ‘Insurgent’ think of free radicals as Jeanine played by Kate Winslet, if you haven’t, then watch it.) Kale has so many of these antioxidants in the form called flavonoids which again have disease lowering effects and have been seen to play a large role in reducing blood pressure.
Kale is so high in both vitamin C and K it would just be silly not to eat this green leaf. Kale is one of the world's best food sources of vitamin C, beating oranges any day of the week. Vitamin C is vital for immunity and even helps prevent them wrinkles as is essential to synthesising collagen. Vitamin K, is essential for them Friday night brawls in a pub, no it doesn't give you superpowers but helps with blood clotting, so may help make your reckless friday nights at the pub a little less bloody ( yes this happens I work in one most Friday nights).
This is just a small list of the amazing properties of incorporating this green powerhouse into your diet, so if you want to research more there are links below.
Stuck on how to eat/cook this vegetable? Well below are some great links that I’ve tried and tested. The deliciously Ella’s recipe is my all time favourite, and I eat it nearly every day and always have a huge bowl in my fridge. It really sounds bizarre, I know, but it is honestly so so tasty. If you can’t even be bothered to do that then just throw it in the blender with the rest of your smoothie ingredients.
For the love of kale, just try it !
DELICIOUSLY ELLA KALE SALAD -
Four big handfuls of kale (I usually use half a bag, or make a big batch with a whole bag)
Cup of pomegranate(you can buy these in pots in tescos, where all their packaged fruit and veg is, in handy time-saving plastic containers).
1 ripe avocado, chop into cubes
1 tablespoon of pumpkin seeds ( I don’t always have these, so don’t feel like you have to have them, they’re not key)
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of tahini ( found usually in the foreign food aisle, literally all supermarkets have it just ask, or go on amazon)
1 lime
1 teaspoon of tamari ( this is gluten free soy sauce i get it on amazon or in a health food shop, or if you’re not worried about gluten, just get soy sauce)
WASH THE KALE, if it isn’t curly kale, tear the leaves of the stems. Place kale into a big bowl.
Put all the dressing ingredients on top of the kale.
Using your hands start massaging all the ingredients into the kale (sounds weird, but makes such a difference, do for a good 3 minutes or however long you want and the leaves start to soften)
Once they’re soft, put the pomegranate on top as well as the avocado.
Stir all together and enjoy!
For extra protein I’ve found that mixing in black beans and quinoa tastes amazing too!
NOTES/ WEBSITES:
http://deliciouslyella.com/a-simple-rainbow-salad-with-the-most-delicious-hummus-dressing/
http://minimalistbaker.com/hide-your-kale-smoothie/
http://kimberlysnyder.com/blog/2012/01/23/dharmas-kale-salad-recipe/
FOLATE/ FOLIC ACID = helps with the formation of red blood cells, essential for any keen fitness fanatic, helps with DNA formation, basically how we form as humans and not Matrix like species, and finally can even prevent tiredness. Folate is the naturally occurring form of folic acid found in food.
FIBER = things that you eat (high in the skin and peel of fruit and vegetables) that cannot be fully digested by the gut, and keep your toilet regime healthy. High fiber diets are associated with reduced colon cancers, diabetes, weight gain and cardiovascular disease.
