- One cup of raw kale has 33 calories (138 kilojoules) yet contains 455% vitamin K, almost 100% vitamin C and 340% vitamin A of the Daily Recommended Intake values, and is a source of iron, folate, magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, manganese and fibre. These values are so high because kale contains more than 100% of the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine to meet the requirements of 97,5% of healthy people.
- Kale contains phytonutrients, which protect against cancer, heart disease and even play a role in weight maintenance.
- Be mindful as you introduce more roughage into your diet. Often, people initially complain of bloating. If kale isn’t already a part of your daily intake, give your body time to adjust.
- Apart from lacinato/dinosaur and curly leaf, kale boasts dozens of varieties with different tastes and colours, like redbor, Gulag stars, true Siberian, red Russian, white Russian, dwarf blue vates, red nagoya, Chinese kale, sea kale and the six-foot-tall ‘walking stick’ kale.
Make these delicious gruyère, almond and kale shortbread biscuits to get kale into your diet!
