Kale is a leafy, green vegetable that is very rich in nutrients.
It is said to have originated in Eastern Mediterranean (Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Syria, etc ) and Asia Minor (Syria, Iran, Iraq, etc ) where it was cultivated for food. It is said to have descended from a wild cabbage after which it underwent mutations over the years to what we know today.
This happened due to man’s interference through selective breeding, probably to ensure we get benefits such as having an all-year-round growing variety that is easy to grow, inexpensive, and with fuller digestible leaves which are very nutritious.
There are lots of kale varieties around the world but what stands out most about it is that it has more Vitamin C than most vegetables. One may differentiate these kale varieties through the length of the stem and the variety of the leaf.
Many people have avoided this vegetable for a long time, not knowing the nutritional values of Kales which are as follows:
- Consumption of kales helps in the lowering of cholesterol in the body. Bad cholesterol usually sticks to the walls of the arteries, block or narrow them. A substance found in kales known as bile acid sequestrants blocks bile acid from being absorbed into the blood. Your liver then needs the cholesterol from your blood to make more bile acid. This reduces your cholesterol level.
- Kale contains two of the most important carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin which are necessary for you to have good eyesight, and also the beta carotene present protects your body from eye conditions such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
- The benefit of reducing your cholesterol will eventually lead to better heart health due to the elimination of a major factor that affects its normal working.
- Kales are a very important source of Vitamin K which is necessary for blood clotting.
- Kales are a good source of plant-based calcium which is necessary for bone health and cellular functions. It is also a good source of magnesium which is good for the heart and is protective against type 2 diabetes because it helps regulate blood sugar. People with low magnesium levels are seen with lower magnesium levels.
To add kales into your diet you can saute kale with garlic and olive oil, create kale crisps, chop the leaves into your salad instead of lettuce or simply blend into a smoothie or a juice
