Power Up With These 23 Kale Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to eat kale raw or cooked? ›

Raw kale can be hard to digest. Kale's fibrous cell walls may prevent your body from absorbing nutrients, but cooking kale can reduce its antioxidant content. Nutrition experts say steaming kale is a good way to make it easier to digest while preserving most of the nutrients.

While raw kale may boast the highest nutrient content, the study found that steaming retained the most antioxidants and minerals, compared with other cooking methods ( 7 ).

RELATED: Believe It Or Not, Kale Actually Lives Up To All Of Its Hype—Here's Why. Manganiello says you can eat kale every day, just don't overdo it. She recommends one to two servings maximum of kale per day, leaving room for other healthy foods that provide an assortment of nutrients.

To avoid excess moisture, wrap the whole bunch of kale in a layer of paper towels, and store in a supermarket plastic bag or a zip-top plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer. The kale should keep for 1 week.

"However, if you are looking for a food that is particularly high in fiber, vitamins K and C, kale is a better choice," she said. "If you are looking for a food that is particularly high in folate and a source of iron, and vitamins A and E, then spinach is a better choice."

Possible health benefits of kale include lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, protecting against heart disease, and helping prevent constipation. Kale may also improve bone, skin, and hair health.

Cutting the stems crossways shortens the fibres, much as with a tough steak, making them perfectly edible and preventing waste. Cut this way, the stems can be cooked in the same way as the rest of the leaf: sauteed, boiled or steamed.

Massaging Kale – massaging kale with a little oil and/or lemon juice for just a few minutes makes it more tender and easier to chew. Plus, it adds an extra boost of flavor.

People who may need to avoid or limit kale intake are those who form oxalate-containing kidney stones or take the blood thinners Coumadin or warfarin. Be sure to check with your health care professional or dietitian if you have questions.

Does kale detox your body? ›

One cup contains more than five grams of fiber, which makes it a great source of digestive support. There's no denying kale's powerful detoxing benefits. One cup of the leafy green contains 1,328 percent of your recommended daily value of vitamin K, more than 300 percent of vitamin A, and 89 percent of vitamin C.

However, it's important to note that the body has its own mechanisms to detoxify, and while kale can contribute to overall health, it doesn't directly "remove toxins" on its own. Eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including kale, can support the body's natural detoxification systems.

You can freeze kale without blanching, but plan to use it within four to six weeks. Unblanched kale may develop a bitter flavor because you haven't stopped the action of the naturally-occurring ripening enzymes in the leaves.

Excess moisture can cause kale to go bad faster, so be sure to give it a good pat dry before moving on.

It will turn yellow and eventually, brown. Kale that's yellowed a little bit is still safe to eat. But if you start to notice a sulfur or rotten egg smell, it's time to throw your kale out. The kale leaves will also become soggy and slimy.

When you finish chewing and swallowing raw kale, the vegetable will pass through the digestive tract intact because it doesn't dissolve quickly. This type of fiber is indeed useful for smooth bowel movements and overcome constipation. However, excessive consumption of rigid fiber can cause digestive problems.

The primary difference is that you can consume more spinach or kale in their cooked versus raw form simply because there is less volume. This also means you'll get more nutrients per serving in cooked versus raw leafy greens. Nutritionally, leafy greens have much to offer regardless of whether they are raw or cooked.

Cook kale instead of eating it raw

Sautéing, steaming, or even baking kale can make it easier to consume. “It helps reduce the volume before you eat it, making it a bit easier on your stomach to break down,” says Tyffanie Ammeter, MS, RDN, CDN.

Kale is a nutrition superstar due to the amounts of vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, carotenoids and manganese it contains. One cup of raw kale has just 20 calories.