Kale, this super vegetable started gaining popularity these recent years, according to USA Today, it now appears on 400% more restaurant menus than it did 5 years ago.
McDonald’s is planning to add kale to its menu this year, and this leafy green vegetable could be used in salads or smoothies.
Kale is an excellent nutrient dense vegetable and it’s easy to add this super vegetable into your diet, you can enjoy in soups, salads, smoothies and stir-fries. Here are the top benefits of kale:
1- Kale promotes weight loss
You can get a full feeling easily without taking more calories or fat by eating more kale, because kale is high in fiber(5g in one cup), low in calorie(36 calories in one cup) and has zero fat. The fiber aids digestion and also lowers cholesterol, and it’s great for increasing your metabolism with its great vitamin C content(100g of kale provides you with twice as much Vitamin C as you need daily). No matter which diet you’re on, kale is always an excellent choice for you to achieve your ideal weight.
2- Kale is high in Vitamin K
Eating a diet high in Vitamin K can reduce the risk of getting various cancers, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vitamin K has been shown to help with bone health, blood clotting, antioxidant activity and Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin K is abundant in kale and there are also other good natural source:
- Vegetables like spinach, asparagus, and broccoli
- Animal products such as cheese, egg, and meat
- Strawberries
- Beans and soybeans
3- Kale is good for your skin and hair
As you know, vitamin A and Vitamin C are essential for healthy skin, they prevent premature aging of skin and especially help to reduce the damage caused by free radicals. Plus, kale is packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which help to deal with hair breakage problems as well as strengthening hair roots and blood circulation in the scalp to make your hair stronger.
4- Kale contains higher iron than beef
Compare with beef, every 100 grams of kale has 1.5 milligrams iron which is almost same with 100 grams of beef(1.6 milligrams), making kale as a great source of iron, and been given a super name” new beef”. Kale does well in providing your daily iron needs without more calories and fat than other food sources of iron.
Iron is essential for positive health, it helps your brain by supplying oxygen to blood effectively and promotes your muscle function too. Other good sources of iron are including
- lentils,
- soy beans,
- cereals,
- bread,
- spinach,
- turnip,
- fish,
- meat,
- sprouts,
- broccoli,
- and whole grains.
5- Kale contains higher calcium than milk
The benefits of calcium are widely known to us and if compare with milk, gram for gram kale has more calcium, kale has 150 mg of calcium every 100 grams, while milk has 125 mg. Calcium may aid in promoting bone health and maintaining a healthy metabolism. It’s best to eat raw kale for the most calcium intake as kale will lose a substantial amount of calcium when it’s cooked.
6- Kale contains more vitamin C than an orange
Oranges are being considered with highest vitamin C in almost all fruits, and 100 grams of orange can provide you 88% of your daily vitamin C requirement, while 100 grams of kale give you with twice as much vitamin C as you need daily, means gram for gram, kale contains more than two times of the vitamin C as an orange.
Sources: usatoday.com, yahoo.com, mindbodygreen.com
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