Kale is a vegetable that’s popular for its many uses. It can be used in many recipes and cooked in different ways. It can also be a standalone dish or an addition to different dishes. 

Is kale good for you, though? Does it benefit your health like other vegetables? Let’s find out.

Nutrition Coaching

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Yes, kale in its many different types has remarkable health benefits. It’s filled with nutrients and vitamins and can be a great addition to a healthy diet. Further, kale can reduce the chances of cancer and heart disease and it can help you lose weight, 

Let’s get to know more about the types of kale and their benefits.

Is Kale Good for You?

You can differentiate between different types of kale through their colors and the shape of their leaves. Here are some of the most common types of kale:

This type of kale was given this name because of its wrinkle-filled green leaves. Its leaves are also strongly attached to the stem, so they need a bit of force to be removed from them.

This type of kale is the most common in most households. Its leaves have a bright green color and they have a ruffle-like shape.

Like curly kale, the leaves in redbor kale also have a ruffle-like shape. What’s unique about it is its color; it can be in different shades of dark red and dark purple.

Russian kale is one of the rarest kinds of kale and it’s famous for its sweet taste. Its color can be green, red, or purple and its leaves are flat.

The Different Types of Kale

Kale has a ton of benefits to offer. Here are some of the most prominent ones:

Kale contains acids known as bile acid sequestrants. These substances help reduce cholesterol levels, which leads to reducing the chances of heart diseases in the long run.

To explain more, cholesterol generates bile acids. These acids help the body in digesting fats. When you eat a meal full of fat, your liver turns cholesterol into these bile acids, and then they’re re-released in your digestive system.

After the bile acids have done their job, they return to your bloodstream to be used again. At the same time, the substances known as bile acid sequestrants can hold bile acids in the digestive system. By doing so, the cholesterol levels in your body stay balanced. 

Kale can help with losing weight and keeping a healthy diet. It’s very filling and has low calories. Kale has high water content and contains proteins and fibers. 

Because of its low-calorie count and low density, eating a lot of it will make you feel full without gaining weight. It will also prevent unnecessary snacking, which is crucial in a healthy diet.

Kale contains a great number of nutrients that help maintain eye health. Some of these nutrients are zeaxanthin, lutein, and carotenoid antioxidants.

These nutrients reduce the chances of getting various eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration.

Kale is filled with antioxidants. These substances work to combat oxidation and prevent cell damage.

To elaborate more, oxidation is a chemical reaction that creates free radicals that can cause cell damage. This is where antioxidants come in to counter this reaction.

Kale is loaded with different kinds of antioxidants like kaempferol, flavonoids, and quercetin. So eating kale can aid with preventing cell damage in the long run.

Another fun fact about kale is that while it does naturally contain a percentage of vitamin A, it’s not a very big one. Yet, kale can give you a great amount of vitamin A. 

This is because kale contains a high amount of the antioxidant beta-carotene. This antioxidant can turn into vitamin A in your body when consumed. 

That being said, vitamin A helps maintain your immune system, lungs, kidneys, and many other organs.

As mentioned before, kale has a very low-calorie count. Not only that, it’s considered a very nutrient-dense food because it has little fat and an insane amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Kale is filled with vitamins A, C, K, B1, B2, B3, and B6. It also contains magnesium, copper, calcium, and potassium. It’s an incredible combo for your health.

Vitamin C for example is very necessary for different functions in your body. It helps with synthesizing collagen and helps with maintaining the overall shape of body cells. 

It’s also worth pointing out that kale has more vitamin C than any other vegetable. In fact, kale is considered one of the best sources of vitamin C in the world.

Another example is vitamin K, as kale is also considered one of its best sources. Fun fact: if you have one cup of kale, you’ll be consuming seven times the needed daily amount of vitamin K.

Vitamin K helps with preventing blood clotting by supporting proteins and strengthening them to be able to bind calcium and prevent clots.

Kale is filled with substances that help with fighting the growth of cancerous cells. One of these substances is indole-3-carbinol, which helps prevent the spreading of cancer.

Another substance is sulforaphane, which helps in preventing the formation of cancerous cells in the first place. 

A good thing about kale is that it’s full of minerals that most people don’t get enough of. For example, it contains magnesium, which helps in reducing the chances of diabetes.

It also contains calcium, which is a crucial mineral for keeping your bones healthy, and it aids many different cellular functions.

The Many Benefits of Kale

To sum things up, kale is definitely good for you. Whether it’s for weight loss or just for trying to eat healthy in general, kale will be great for your overall health.

It’s nutritious and filled with various vitamins and beneficial substances. Not only that, but it has a low-calorie count, is very filling, and can be cooked in many different ways to make different delicious dishes. So make sure to add it to your diet.

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Is Kale Good For You?

Is Kale Good for You?

The Different Types of Kale

The Many Benefits of Kale

Conclusion