Kale Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable with many varieties such as black, red Russian and blue curled kale. Closely related to cabbage, kale is becoming increasingly popular among hobby gardeners with ornamental kale being easy to cultivate at home. Kale can be eaten in salad, however, many people choose to juice or blend kale into smoothies.

Kale Health Uses and Health Benefits

Kale health benefits are plenty thanks to its rich nutritional value. Containing over 1100% of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K per serving, kale is considered a superfood because of how nutrient-rich it is. In addition to having off-the-charts vitamin K content, kale also contains significant levels of vitamins A and C—antioxidant vitamins that protect against chronic disease and boost immune system function. Kale is also rich in minerals such as manganese, copper, calcium and iron.¹ 

One of the most significant health benefits of kale thanks to its high nutrition is its ability to control and lower inflammation. The omega-3 fatty acid content found in kale makes it an anti-inflammatory food that can help decrease the risk of inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s, Alzheimer’s and many other diseases.^1,2

Kale also contains detoxifying chemicals called isothiocyanates, which help eliminate toxins that accumulate in the body at the cellular level. The detoxification, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of kale make it excellent for cardiovascular health. Kale’s nutrient level can help reduce levels of bad cholesterol, which is critical to preventing heart disease.^1,2

Other kale health benefits include preventing the risk of certain cancers and reducing the risk of birth defects with kale’s high folate content.^1,2

References

1. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38
2. https://draxe.com/health-benefits-of-kale/