All Hail Kale
By Sarah
Clachar
From
Taste for Life, November 2006
Every winter I
marvel as the kale in my garden stands tall and green when all
other vegetables have succumbed to December’s
snows. A
vegetable that hardy has to offer me some outstanding
nutrition. And
scientists are supporting that hunch, revealing kale to be a
superfood that should be on all of our plates.
Kale has held a
revered place in many cultures that depended on its durability and
nutrition. Many
communities in north-western Germany have yearly kale festivals
with a “kale king”. In
the British isles, it is considered a mystical plant, a favorite
ride for fairies. In
Scotland, kale is so essential that in Scots dialect the word for
kale is equivalent to food. To be “off one’s kail” is to feel
too ill to eat.
Modern day
research has confirmed kale’s legendary status. Kale, along with other dark leafy
vegetables, has been
recommended by the American Heart Association for it’s role in
keeping our hearts healthy. Folate and vitamin B6, both found in
kale, work together to break down homocysteine, a molecule found in
the blood that at high levels has been linked to coronary disease
and stroke.
Even more
outstanding is kale’s cancer-fighting properties. Numerous studies have indicated
that cruciferous vegetables (kale, cabbage, broccoli, brussel
sprouts and cauliflower) contain components called isothiocyanates
that regulate a complex system of enzymes that help fight
cancer. These
molecules have been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in the
breast, endometrium (lining of body cavities), lungs, colon, liver
and cervix. Research
has shown that people who have diets high in cruciferous vegetables
have significantly lower risk for lung, colorectal and prostate
cancer. One recent
study found that mice who had cruciferous vegetables in their diet
had 25% less precancerous polyps than mice who did not have any in
their diet. And mice
that ate twice as much cruciferous vegetables than the first group
had even half as many tumors. Also, in the mice who ate kale
and its cousins, the tumors were smaller and
slower-growing.
So the more you eat, the better! Researchers have found that these
compounds might actually induce cancer cell suicide as well as work
with enzymes to slow tumor growth.
Kale’s
isothiocyanates are not working alone to fight
cancer. Kale is
very high in Vitamin A and carotenoids which are essential to
immune system health and can also help in fighting many types
of cancer. The
Iowa Women’s Health Study found that the women who ate the
most dark green leafy vegetables, high in carotenoids, were
found to have less than half (44%) the risk for ovarian
cancer as subjects who ate the least amount of these
nutrient-rich leaves. Kale rounds out this
nutritional power surge with excellent doses of Vitamins C,
K, manganese, and good amounts of iron, calcium, potassium,
and fiber.
Kale is not just a
hit with doctors. “ I
love to cook with kale,” raves Chef Annie Somerville of Greens
Restaurant in San Francisco, “particularly dinosaur or Tuscan
kale.” She recommends
parboiling it in lightly salted water and sautéing it with a little
garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and toasted
nuts. A touch of
raisins or apple can also balance off its mustardy
bite. It makes a
great addition to pasta and balances off potatoes
superbly.
Young and tender kale makes a great addition to winter salads
and a leaf or two tossed in a smoothie will just add to the
nutrition without altering the taste. Kale is delicious in soups,
as well.
Kale comes in
several guises. Dinosaur kale looks like a leaf out of the Jurassic
period. Red Russian
and curly-leafed kale is more hardy and
stronger-tasting. Purchase kale that shows no
sign of wilting. The
fresher it is, the less bitter the taste. (That bitter taste is probably
some of those cancer-fighting nutrients.) When purchased in the
winter months, kale is more likely to have a sweeter, milder taste
brought on by a good frost.
Sauteed, steamed
or raw – take a bite of this curly-leafed wonder and remember what
Turkish diners say on the subject of kale: “Every leaf you chew adds another
branch to the tree of your life!” The science is there to prove
it.
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