Why is Kale the Greenest, Most Elitist, Most Annoying-to-hear-about Vegetable?
Still don’t know about kale? No problem. Come out from your cave and open your eyes. Let me introduce you.
It’s a super food.
But, you’re going to loathe it.
I sure do.
And, I’m not alone.
Click here to see Jim Gaffigan commiserate about it.
But with all the benefits, it’s worth knowing the basics.
What the hell is kale?
Kale is one of the world’s healthiest foods. It’s like:
- Lettuce, but greener.
- Broccoli but leafier.
- Cabbage but less German.
It’s a vegetable available year round. You can get it from farmer’s markets. Or, you can buy it pre-washed and bagged at most grocery stores.
Why the hell should I eat kale?
The brightest, most vibrantly-colored fruits and veggies are the healthiest. Why? Because they’re filled with the most vitamins and nutrients. And since they might not be as tasty as iceberg lettuce, they need to be very attractive to the human eye.
If kale wasn’t SO green, would anyone eat it?
Doubtful.
On it’s own, in raw-form, like chewing bamboo.
Aren’t the world’s processes of natural selection beautiful (and masochistic)?
Alas, inside kale’s deep, dark green color lives a boat load of health benefits.
Vitamins: Tons of vitamins including 100% of daily value of Vitamin A and C.
Protein: Yes, plant-based foods provide protein.
Flavanoids: Over 40 of ’em.
Need more reasons?
Kale prevents heart disease and inhibits cancer. Oh yeah, and it helps lower cholesterol.
How to eat more kale?
Eating raw kale on its own is downright gross. It’s extreme roughage. Crunchy, chewy, strangely flavored.
So, you gotta doctor it up a bit.
Here are some of my favorite ways to eat more kale:
Smoothies and juices: consuming kale in its raw form has most cancer inhibiting benefits.
Click here to see my favorite kale smoothie.
Salads: Mixed with other veggies, kale makes a very flavorful salad.
Soups: Adds a bit of texture and color to soups. We love it in our sweet potato chorizo soup.
Bottom line: Cook it. Mix it. Blend it.
Buying and storing kale
Kale is available at nearly all grocery stores, year round. Easiest is to buy in pre-washed, pre-cut bag. And, farmers often spray it with pesticides, so it’s worth the extra 20 cents to get organic.
It lasts about a week in the fridge. Be sure to keep it in an air-tight bag.
Conclusion
Kale is very unsexy. But people who eat it are:
Very sexy.
Go get a bag of kale tonight and put it in a smoothie, salad or breakfast.
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