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Kale

To those cooking your kale.. use a healthy oil like virgin olive oil
But it should be noted that cooking any vegetable begins destroying the vital phytonutrients that make kale a superfood.

Juicing? Sure.. but smoothies are better.

1-2 oz of natural juice concetrate
1 cup of pineapple
4 large strawberries
6 oz of almond or coconut milk
2-3 cups of ice

makes two servings

puree the juice concentrate and kale
then add the fruit of your choice, nut milks and ice... blend... enjoy!

Here isn a recent article on kale... Drew Ramsey, M.D.: This Is Your Brain on Kale

In the nutition newsletter I get it states cooked kale is healthier than raw which is typically contradictory to most others. That's what got me to thinking when I steamed some for 20 minutes instead of three.
 
In the nutition newsletter I get it states cooked kale is healthier than raw which is typically contradictory to most others. That's what got me to thinking when I steamed some for 20 minutes instead of three.

Aside from possible bacterial contaminants, I'm not aware of any vegetable the is healthier cooked than raw. Phytonutrients are crucial, and these are destroyed by cooking. What is the name of your nutrition newsletter?
 
Kale is more nutritious when lightly steam-cooked (as are collard greens, mustard greens, broccoli, green bell pepper, and cabbage) due to bile-acid binding. Bile acid binding potential has been related to lowering the risk of heart disease and that of cancer. As for what bile acid binding truly is and why it’s important? Sheesh-ka-bobs, excellent question. After searching high and low for a lay-man’s phrased answer, I’ve got nothing. From what I can tell based on this very scientific information and several sites that used the phrase without describing it, bile acid is from the liver, involves cholesterol, and binds bile acid to something, but I can’t tell if the binding is a positive outcome or a negative.***

A more reader-friendly (aka, written for the 8th grade reading level) write up on the kale: cooked or raw topic was found in Scientific American’s Fact or Fiction: Raw Veggies are Healthier Than Cooked Ones. Their findings, backed by several journal articles, are more moderate, suggesting the cooking veggies and raw veggies both have benefits, and one should eat them both, the most important fact being they are at least eating vegetables at all.

LiveStrong’s Q&A section hosts a question about eating kale raw, simply noting that one can do it and pairs kale with other foods for you (why not beer? I really want to see a kale-beer pairing…). So we can infer you can eat kale raw and no one is saying “run away to Switzerland!”

The best consensus I can find is that kale is totally good for you – it basically helps put up a force field around your colon, can keep cholesterol low, and lowers your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Though to be fair, if you’re eating kale, you’re probably somewhat healthy already so it’s tough to say if kale itself is the reason you have all of those health benefits. It might just be that you’re a reasonably healthy person.

***************
I went on line to see about cooked vs. raw and one theme I found from several sites was cooked is better fror cholestrol concerns where raw seems to better better for cancer concerns. What is stongly emphasized everywhere is to not eat too much of it. I do know it is loaded with vitamin K like 600+ of you daily needs so that alone tells you something.

A poster on a wall here at work reads, " A healthy diet is the slowest form of suicide".
 
I started eating Kale and it is interesting how many ways you can eat it. Some say steam for 3-4 mins. then some say one min. I steamed some for 20 min. and made creamed kale --dynomite!! Super good for you.

Great with bacon and white beans, in a soup. Myriad recipes for Kale-Bacon-White Bean soup can be found online. I like mine with house-made chicken stock, fresh (finely chopped) oregano and thyme and diced Roma Tomatoes (skinned/seeded; only the meat). Plus the usual: lots of press garlic and salt/pepper to taste.
 
This is my favorite Kale Salad. The preparation is a time investment well worth the end product and it holds it's structure in the frig for a few days. I found the key to raw kale is tearing off the stems, chopping finely and massing the dressing into the leaf.

As far as cooked v. raw I think there are benefits to each method. A few vegetables have benefits when cooked (carrots and kale) and also other benefits when consumed raw.

Either way ...with kale you almost cannot go wrong! Check out the link for more information on the recipe.

Weekend Glow Kale Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1/2 large head of kale (about 4-6 cups)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2-3/4 cup chopped carrot (2 small carrots)
1 English cucumber (2 cups chopped halves)
1 avocado, chopped
1 & 1/4 cup chopped grape tomatoes (or other variety)
1/2 cup mixed raisins and Goji berries
1/4 cup hemp seed
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Dressing: 1 batch of Lightened Up tahini-Lemon Dressing (<—click for recipe)
Your desired fresh or dried herbs

Directions:
1. Chop vegetables and mix in a large mixing bowl. Reserve hemp seed and walnuts for sprinkling on top.
2. Make your Lightened Up tahini-Lemon Dressing in a food processor and process until smooth.
3. Tear the leaves off of the kale and rip into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry kale leaves.
4. Mix the vegetables, kale leaves, and full batch of dressing (3/4-1 cup) in large bowl until thoroughly combined.
5. Place in fridge to ‘marinate’ for 10-15 minutes. Serves 4. Keeps in fridge in a sealed container for 1 day.


Read more: Weekend Glow Kale Salad
 
I prefer raw kale that's been massaged, more nutrients that way. You remove the leaf from the hard stalk. Then put olive oil on the leaves, along with rock salt and lemon juice, and crunch it in your hands. It breaks down the tough kale fibers and makes them really soft. It also makes the kale sweeter tasting. No dressing necessary as the kale juice mixed with the lemon is divine.
 
From the newsletter "Environmental Nutrition" it reads as follows,"Its (kale) health benefits significantly increase when it's steamed, says a study published in Nutrition Reasearch." I have read many publications confirming its ability to bind bile acids which can lower cholesterol levels. The letter also says, " Regular consumption of steamed kale is linked to lowered risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer."
 
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