Fuel Your Body

Kale

By Katharine Harris | December 17, 2010

Photo by Laurel Fan via Flickr (cc)

It sits in the produce section of your grocery store, dark green and leafy. You’ve probably walked past it many times, but next time you’re there do your body a favour, stop and buy some kale.

An incredibly healthy, versatile vegetable that can easily be added to your diet, Kale is part of the cabbage family and has a long history. Until the middle ages it was one of the most common vegetables in Europe.

In the 19th century Russian kale was introduced to Canada and then the U.S. Kale can grow through until October and sometimes November, and actually tastes sweeter and more flavourful after exposure to a frost.

It is a flexible vegetable that can be added to salads, soups, risottos, stirfries and stews, as well as prepared on its own. Boiled, steamed, fried, or baked into kale chips -no matter which way you eat it, kale brings a wealth of benefits to you.

A great source of betacarotene, Vitamins K and C and calcium, it contains powerful antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory. It also contains sulfophene, which is believed to help fight cancer. Thanks to its fibre-related nutrients, kale can also help lower cholesterol levels and its glucosinolates position it as a natural detoxifier.

So now that you’re sold on the benefits of kale, you’re ready to add it to your diet.

For something to munch on during the holidays, make a batch of kale chips! Trust me, they're delicious. 

• Kale and Banana Smoothie
• Sausage, Kale and Whitebean soup

Whatever method you choose to use, be sure to start including kale in your diet today!