We all know we should eat plenty of green vegetables. But there is one green vegetable above all others.
Kale is King!
Kale is a leaf cabbage that is loaded with nutrients and provides dozen of health benefits.
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Here are 12 surprising benefits of eating Kale.
The 12 Biggest Health Benefits Of Eating Kale
It’s Nutrient Dense
Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet that contains numerous vitamins that exceed the recommended daily allowance (rda).
A 100g serving of kale contains 200% rdaof Vitamin C, 300% rda of Vitamin A, and 1000% rda of Vitamin K.
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It also contains large amounts of vitamin B6, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cooper, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, and manganese.
It’s Low In Calories
A cup of kale contains only 36 calories and 3g of protein.
Talk about a bargain of nutrient packed benefits for low calories! Perfect for dieting.
High Fiber
A cup of kale contains 5grams of fiber.
Fiber is instrumental in helping you digest food to help with regularity and aids in weight loss.
According to the Institute of Medicine, women need 25 grams of fiber per day, and men need 38 grams per day.
A cup of kale goes a long way to help you reach that goal.
Anti-inflammatory Benefits
Given the high Omega-3 and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) content, these two can help reduce inflammation which is found in arthritis, autoimmune disorders and asthma.
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Improves Depression
Kale contains phytonutrients which are molecules that produce carotenoid which has been linked to uplifted mood.
The additional omega-3 acids are helpful for fighting symptoms of protein. The combination of protein, iron, folate, and B6 help create more serotonin and dopamine to elevate mood.
Anti-oxidants
Vitamin A and C are antioxidants and helps with reducing inflammation.
In fact, gram for gram, kale contains twice the vitamin C that in an orange.
More anti-oxidants helps counteract the damage caused by cell damage linked to cardiovascular disease or cancer
more: The Health Benefits Of Kale
Heart Support
The heart needs large amounts of anti-oxidants and Vitamin K and a type of Vitamin E to be heart-healthy.
Kale has even been shown to lower cholesterol in clinical studies and increases the hdl: ldl ratio by up to 27%! (hdl is the “good” cholesterol).
Healthy Babies
Medical professionals strongly recommend that women of childbearing age take folate supplements prior to pregnancy and throughout their pregnancy since folate is important in fetal development.
If there is decreased folate a fetus can develop neural tube defects and anemia.
Kale contains high levels of folate to provide the infant healthy neural tube formation, adequate birth weight proper development of the face and heart, and sufficient red blood cells.
Healthy vision
Kale contains lutein and zeaxanthin which have been show to prevent both macular degeneration and cataracts.
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Both of these compounds act as antioxidants in the eye to filter out the harmful high energy blue wavelengths of light so our eyes our protected.
Cancer Protection
The glucosinolate of kale breaks down during digestion in biologically active agents’ indoles, thiocyanates and isothiocyanate which prevent cancer cells from growing.
As of now they have been shown to reduce cancer growth in rats and mice, and protected against cancer of bladder, breast, colon, liver, lung and stomach.
More studies will be done to assess treatment in human cancer prevention.
more: This Is Your Brain On Kale
Lose weight
Kale is so low in calories but high in fiber that the bulk makes you feel full.
Eating plenty of low energy density foods has been shown to aid in weight loss.
Although there are no studies directly showing the effect of kale on weight loss, one can suggest that it would benefit in weight loss the same was as other low energy density foods.
Healthy bones and skin
The high content of calcium helps build stronger bones, and the vitamin K improves the calcium absorption so it can be used for bone growth.
more: The Top 12 Health & Nutritional Benefits Of Kale
Furthermore, the high levels of beta-carotene content will also keep your skin and hair moisturized.
In summary…
The Top Health Benefits Of Kale
- It’s nutrient dense
- It’s low calories
- It’s high in fiber
- It has anti-inflammatory benefits
- It improves depression
- It has tons of anti-oxidants
- It supports your heart
- It helps make healthy babies
- It helps promote healthy vision
- It can help prevent against types of cancer
- It can help you lose weight
- It promotes healthy skin and strong bones
Rajiv M Mallipudi, md, mhs is an internal medicine resident physician, personal trainer, athlete and author. He has over a decade of personal training experience and helped hundreds of clients of all levels achieve their weight loss and fitness goals. This inspired him to work as a clinical researcher at the nationally recognized, Johns Hopkins Hospital Weight Management Center. During medical school he and his classmates created the health and wellness organization, med fit, which provided personal training and nutrition counseling to the medical student body. In his spare time, Dr. Mallipudi enjoys playing ice hockey, dancing, and training for his next bodybuilding and powerlifting competitions. Dr. Mallipudi serves as a contributing writer for the Diet and Fitness sections.
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i love eating kale! glad to know that my favorite vegetable can improve digestion and reduce inflammation. what I love the most is how it can help lose weight.
i didn’t know kale has so much more to offer. i like this but i was clueless. thanks for sharing your knowledge.
eating vegetables has been a struggle for my kids. but once i decided i should be firm and i should set an example to them, i was determined and now we all enjoy a good healthy meal.
when i was pregnant, i was advised to eat more kale because of its folate content. i was told it will be very helpful for a child’s brain and overall development so i did. i’m glad i listened.
kale also helps in depression? this is such good news! i have friends who suffer from depression and i can share this to them.
i like kale and it’s nice to know it has this much health benefits. i can share this to my mom friends who struggle with other options for their families.
i love that it helps improve depression.
kale is the best! i love it and i use it with almost anything.
kale has been a part of my diet because it’s really low carb.
i’ve learned about the benefits of kale and i can say, these are all true!
i love everything about kale!
this is just awesome to know. i don’t use kale as much, but now i definitely have reasons to.
i love kale and it’s good to know there’s this much good things about it.
wow, i’m gonna add kale to my new faves now!
kale is one of the healthy options i now use with almost anything
this is why i fell in love with kale. :)
the reason why i loved kale is that it has antioxidants
this is so awesome! thanks for sharing, i’ll start adding kale more often.
promotes healthy skin too? i’m totally IN!!
kale is indeed full of healthy benefits. this is discovered not long ago and since then, i try to add kale to almost anything
i thought kale is just gonna be a fad. thanks for sharing its health benefits, i’ll try more recipes.
i will start adding kale to my recipes now. thanks for sharing.
if this really helps in weight loss then i’m in! :)
i love kale and all its benefits!
i love that it’s also an anti oxidant
it’s true that this aids in weight loss too.
kale is also a superfood! just like all others, you can add it to anything
it’s true that it can prevent cancer too
wow, this is amazing! i’m gonna start adding up kale to my recipes.
i love kale! i even add it to my smoothie