Kale storm of nutrition

Good article that ran on Kale!

Kale storm of nutrition
New preparations push power-packed food up good-for-you list


If you were offered a chance to eat roasted kale chips for the first time in 2012, did they pass the “bet you can’t eat just one” test?

If they failed, fear not.

There are techniques other than roasting that can tastefully work the antioxidant-, vitamin- and mineral-rich, low-fat and low-calorie vegetable into your diet, said Meg Galvin, a 12-year instructor at Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute.

One way is to drink it.

“If you look at the Macy’s ads, the big thing this year is going to be the juicer,” she said.

A homemade smoothie made in your juicer with kale as a major ingredient is going to “look like disgusting river water, but if you throw in other fruits and vegetables, it makes it more palatable,” said Kathy Haugen, a registered dietitian at TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion in Montgomery.

The other trend in kale, Galvin said, is to “massage” finely chopped, stem-free raw kale in an acidic dressing, let it sit for four hours or overnight and eat it as a salad. The technique mellows the earthy, sometimes bitter flavor of kale and makes it less tough.

“The positive thing with the kale massage method is you’re breaking down its toughness. You can eat it raw, but wow!” Galvin said. “It’s got a strong taste, but it’s a power-packed vegetable.”

Kale is high in vitamins C, A and K and contains calcium, vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. The antioxidants in kale, such as carotenoids and flavonoids, are known to help block certain cancers. Haugen said kale’s antioxidants provide cardiovascular support and help halt the oxidation damage done by free radicals that attack cells and disrupt metabolic processes.

The fiber in cooked kale, Haugen said, binds with bile acids that control cholesterol levels, helping to maintain your cardiovascular system.

Claims that kale lowers cholesterol levels can’t be supported, however, said Lauren Niemes, registered dietitian and executive director of the Greater Cincinnati Nutrition Council. Its high potassium content is good for your heart, though, she said.

“A big trend for next year, because of our economic situation, is any kind of fruit or vegetable that can be a double whammy,” Galvin said.

Kale fits that bill because its vitamin K helps your blood coagulate and maintains bone mass; and because the whole plant can be used: Eat the leaves in a salad; cut up and toss the stem in the juicer.

Kale isn’t quite the secret to better health or the “super food” that it has been hyped to be. “We tend to find the rock star in our worlds. I think (kale is) a great team player,” said Dr. Keevin Davis, who co-hosts the award winning television show “Doctors in the Kitchen” with Dr. Denise Davis.

“The American way is to go out and buy 10 pounds of kale and eat it all in one day and then say ‘But I feel the same,’ ” he said. “It’s not one thing you have to do. It has to be a lifestyle shift.”

Davis recommends working both raw and cooked kale into your diet. But be careful, he said, if you are on blood thinning medicines, because kale’s vitamin K promotes coagulation. Also, organic acids in kale called oxalates can slow down the absorption of calcium, he said.

How to sneak kale into your diet
• Blend a few chopped-up young kale leaves (but not the stems) into fruit smoothies. It’s a great way to get more greens into the diets of the veggie-averse, especially kids.

• Chop, cook and mix kale with grains to add nutrients and flavor to dishes like barley risotto or rice pilaf.

• Crumble blanched or frozen kale into soups, stews, beans and pasta sauces.

• Substitute sautéed kale for cooked spinach in spanakopita, on pizza, or wherever you typically use greens.

• Whip up a quick kale sauté with garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and basil.

Key kale nutritional facts
• The following numbers are based on 1/2 cup of cooked kale: Calories, 20; fat, 0g; cholesterol, 0g; sodium, 1mg; carbohydrates, 4g; fiber 1g; sugar, 1g; protein, 1g.

• The following numbers are the percent of recommended daily amount: Vitamin A, 180; vitamin C, 45; calcium, 15; iron, 4.

Shopping and preparation tips
• Buy kale in season when it’s at its nutritious best. A light frost can sweeten it, so fall and winter are optimal seasons to eat kale.

• When you bring fresh kale home to your kitchen, don’t wash it right away. Wrap it in a loose cotton sack or put it in a sealed, plastic bag, and place it in the coldest spot in your refrigerator. Meg Galvin said it will stay at its best for up to five days, but Bryan Madison said he’s known his store’s kale to be good for up to nine days. After that, it will begin to spoil.

• Whenever you buy kale to cook, buy a lot. Like spinach, it shrinks in volume dramatically when cooked.

• Blanching reduces the bitterness in kale. Use it in a sautee or freeze for later use.

• Braise a pound of kale in seasoned liquid such as vegetable stock to tenderize it and add flavor. It will be ready to eat after simmering for about 20 minutes.


http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130103/LIFE07/301030007/Kale-storm-nutrition