Kale rises above its green leaf vegetable counterparts when it comes to nutrients.
Apart from being leafy, this vegetable packs a lot of nutrients, which undoubtedly, is a healthy option.
In fact, the vegetable has been associated with improving blood pressure and promoting digestive health.
Let’s look at the benefits of kale in details
9 Incredible Health benefits of kale
- Kale is suitable for people with diabetes
- Prevent Cancer
- Supports Heart health
- Improves Bone health
- Good for Eye health
- Good for Digestive system
- Skin and hair
- Has anti-inflammatory properties
- Kale is an excellent detox
1. Kale is suitable for people with diabetes
Kale is rich in vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and fiber.
The American Diabetes Association recommends consuming foods rich in these elements, and kale is one of such foods. These elements can protect the body from diabetes.
Specifically, taking dietary fiber reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
According to a 2018 study, Again, consuming dietary fiber lowers blood sugar levels. By contrast, a 2012 article states that high blood glucose can trigger the production of free radicals.
Further, the NCBI article says that antioxidants like vitamin C and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), are efficient in reducing complications that may arise due to diabetes – kale packs a high amount of these antioxidants.
2. Prevent Cancer
Kales has a lot of components that help reduce the risk of cancer. These components include:
- Chlorophyll: Chlorophyll protects the body from absorbing heterocyclic amines. Heterocyclic amines occur when you grill animal-derived foods at high temperatures and have been linked to cancer. Chlorophyll binds to these compounds, thus preventing the body from absorbing them.
- Antioxidants: selenium, vitamin C, beta carotene, selenium, and other antioxidants clear the free radicals in the body, thus help prevent cancer.
- Fiber: kale is rich in fiber. A study conducted in 2015 states that consuming dietary fiber in high amounts reduces the chances of developing colorectal cancer.
3. Supports Heart health
The various nutrients in kale support the health of the heart and blood vessels. They are:
- Potassium: according to the American Heart Association (AHA), increasing the intake of potassium while decreasing the amount of added salts or sodium reduces the risk of developing high blood pressure as well as cardiovascular diseases.
- Fiber: According to the study done in Cochrane in 2016, there is a relationship between lower blood lipid levels and consuming fiber and blood pressure. The research shows that people who eat more fiber are likely to have lower total cholesterol as well as low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
4. Improves Bone health
Kale packs a lot of calcium phosphorus, two minerals that are known to be essential for bone health and formation.
Again, this leafy vegetable has a lot of vitamin K, which, if consumed in high amounts, may reduce the risk of developing bone fractures.
The amazing part is that when you take a cup of cooked kale, you get five times the amount vitamin K an adult needs in a single day, while the calcium level stands at 15–18% and about 7% phosphorus requirement per day.
5. Good for Eye health
The lutein and zeaxanthin in kale is an antioxidant combination that may help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.
On the other hand, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and zinc are vital for the health of the eye, and kale packs all these substances.
6. Good for Digestive system
The high amount of fiber and water is essential in promoting the bowel movement, thus prevents constipation. This, in turn, leads to a healthy gut.
The best way to benefit is by eating the stem as it contains a high amount of prebiotics, which is food for probiotics.
Though they are tough when raw, when you Sautee I olive or avocado oil together with sea salt, they become more delicious.
7. Skin and hair
The beta-carotene, found in kales, is converted into vitamin A, which is essential in for proper growth and maintenance of body tissues, including the skin and hair.
In contrast, vitamin C is important in maintaining collagen.
8. Has anti-inflammatory properties
Kale has omega 3 fatty acids. Precisely, one cup packs 10 % of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids.
This component is essential and effective in preventing inflammation.
It fights inflammation by supporting the endocannabinoid system, promoting heart health, helping the brain function properly, etc.
9. Kale is an excellent detox
The fiber and the sulfur within kale are significant components that help in body detoxification.
They help the body remove waste products from the body quickly, which makes your liver and kidney healthier.
Conclusion
Kale is one of the greenies and most nutritious food. It is a great addition to the ketogenic diet. If kale consumes daily, it can give numerous health benefits.