3 Amazing Facts about Kale That Give It a Superfood Status
Looking out for health food options is the best thing one can do to his/her health. You can include the greens in your diet as they are super rich in minerals, vitamins and fibers. There are many shades of greens having their own health advantages and you should include them all in your diet to make your every meal healthy and nourishing. If you have been thinking green now then here is the superfood you may include in your meals and it is “Kale”.
Kale that belongs to cabbage family is the powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. It is also called borecole and may come in green or purple color. There are many varieties of kale available in different color shades like dark green, pale green, violet green and even violet brown. Whatever color you choose and whichever way you consume it, this nutrition rich leafy green has lot many benefits to offer.
- Vitamin powerhouse indeed!
When this curly vegetable has received the title of superfood, it is essential to know what it really means! It is loaded with potassium, copper, manganese, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Kale has been ranked quite high for its vitamin content as just one cup of this curly green will amount to 192% of your daily vitamin A requirement and 90% of your daily vitamin C requirement.
The calcium in kale helps in strengthening bones and reverse the effects of osteoporosis when combined with vitamin A and K2. You will have stronger teeth, better immune system and clean blood vessels when your body is fueled with the right amount of vitamins and minerals.
A bowl full of this wonder veggie will also boost your nervous system and increase the sex hormone that would keep you in good mood and of course make you feel young. Kale is not just for youthful body but it also makes your brain young and alert. Ageing affects your memory and gets your mental reflexes slow but three servings of kale and other leafy greens per day will make you almost 5 years younger.
- Loaded with antioxidants
ORAC, which stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity is the rating given to the foods with highest capacity to fight free radicals. Higher this rating, better the food! Kale that is loaded with quercetin, beta-carotene, kaempferol and phytochemical has quite high ORAC rating of 1,770 which is higher than raw spinach having ORAC rating 1,515, celery ORAC 497 and cauliflower ORAC 839. This proves that this dark green vegetable would fight the free radicals in your body quite effectively to keep the diseases like cancer in check. The damage at cellular level is reduced substantially when this leafy green is the vital part of your daily diet.
Other disorders that are caused because of free radicals are asthma, eye macular degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, thrombosis, cardiovascular disorder, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Your daily dose of kale will fight the free radicals and may check all these diseases from entering your system.
Kale contains indole-3-carbinol (I3C), the phytochemical that lowers the secretion of LDL transporting chemical in liver. This means it would lower the LDL level in your blood vessels and may also fight tummy fat.
- Another property that fights cancer
Kale is superfood because it fights the most dangerous health fears in different ways. This magical leafy green contains compounds called glucosinolates that consist of glucoraphanin, sinigrin and glucobrassicin, which may get converted to isothiocyanates on passing through the digestive tract. The studies have confirmed that the isothiocyanates are capable of inhibiting the growth of cancerous cells. The carcinogens in the body are destroyed without any DNA damage.
Though one cannot expect miracles to happen but developing a healthy habit of including kale salad and other kale recipes would make your body ready to fight most of the lifestyle and chronic diseases.
Including kale in your meals is not very difficult though as it tastes good even raw. You can toss it in a salad or sauté it a bit with olive oil to get the quick bowl of health ready to be served. Don’t overcook this superfood as you would end up losing the vital vitamins and anti-oxidants in the process.
About Author:
Karishma Pandey is a professional writer. She writes about everything related to health home remedies. She occasionally writes for IshaPur, a brand that promotes turmeric curcumin extract, that helps to minimize joint pains.
