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Weight Loss Wednesday: Kale

     Kale. It seems like for months I’ve been hearing and reading about this “superfood” everywhere. I’ve seen it on blogs, in magazines, other online articles. What’s all the hype about? Well, having a few servings a week can offer huge benefits.
     According to WebMD, a cup of Kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber and is an excellent source of calcium, vitamins A, C, B6 and K, magnesium, copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. That’s a lot of vitamins and nutrients!
     Vitamin K, especially, is beneficial because it can reduce the risk of cancer and is important for a variety of bodily functions, including normal blood clotting, antioxidant activity, and bone health.
     Some things to be aware of when eating kale is that vitamin K can interfere with anticoagulent drugs, so is you are taking any, consult with your doctor before including kale in your diet. Also, kale contains oxalates, which can interfere with the absorbtion of calcium, so save your other calcium rich foods for another meal!
     Now, kale is an aquired taste. It is similar to spinach or greens. You can eat it cooked or raw. I recommend completely removing the stems, since that is the bitter part. One increasingly popular way to prepare kale is kale chips.

kale chips

     To make kale chips, tear the kale leaves (a bunch worth) into chip size pieces. Mix the leaves with 1 TBSP olive oil and massage the oil in the leaves so they are all lightly coated with oil. Lay them out on a couple of baking sheets. Do not overlap or they won’t crisp properly.
     Very lightly sprinkle with sea salt and bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes, or until crispy. go easy on the salt. It is easy to oversalt!
     Now, I’m not going to say these taste just like potato chips. Because they don’t. Some people who have gotten very accustomed to kale chips think they are a perfect substitute for potato chips. And they are in the sense that they provide that salty, crunchy flavor. But like I said–aquired taste.
     Another recipe I tried was this Tuscan kale salad.

tuscan kale salad

     To make this salad you will need:
     1 cup of kale leaves (stems removed)
     1 TBSP olive oil
     1 mashed clove garlic
     1 tsp lemon juice 
     1-2 TBSP shredded parmesan cheese

     Mix together garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Add to kale and allow to sit about 5 minutes. Add the cheese and toss. Enjoy!
     I hope you’ll try out this superfood if you haven’t already. I’m trying to consider more ways to get kale into my diet too!

32 Comments

  1. I love the nutritional factors with eating Kale. It certainly make great soup. I thank you for this great and enlightening post.

  2. I made kale chips and loved them. I’ve also tried making kale chips with toppings and that came out good, too. Much less expensive than buying them. But I haven’t made them since, they seem more of a novelty, but if teens will eat them, so much better than regular chips for a snack!

  3. I have juts recently tried these and they are AMAZING!!! I love them and shockingly so does my 3 year old!! So guess what this mama is making soon?!!? 😉

  4. I am not sure I have ever had Kale, don’t believe I have. My kids love salads so maybe this would be good to try. Looks great in the pic

  5. I love Kale and I am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my diet. I would love to try this! Thanks for sharing!

  6. Crunchy, salty flavor is where I am coming from when you mention snacks. I put kale in my smoothies and think that I could easily transition to Kale Chips.

  7. I’ve made and enjoyed kale chips (although I will try the massage of the oil into the kale and see what difference that makes over just stirring the oil in). I’ve never eaten kale raw but the salad sounds tasty. Will give it a try.

    1. Raw kale definitely takes some getting used to. Many people don’t care for it. But it is very good for you. 🙂

  8. Interesting facts from WebMD….I love salad but have never tried Kale. Your recipes have made me curious, thank you for sharing.

  9. I purchased kale chips in bags at a store; they were spiced up with something bitter though. I am trying to figure out what to sprinkle on them once cooked that would enhance the flavor.

  10. I have a bunch in the fridge now. Kale is new to me. I think I will try making the crisps. Have you ever tried the chips with any herbs…garlic powder, italian seasoning?

    1. No, I haven’t tried it with anything but salt. But adding herbs and seasoning sounds like a great idea! You will still want to go easy though, because the kale shrinks a little in the oven.

  11. I have never eaten or cooked with Kale though I know that it is supposed to be great for you. I think the Kale Chips would be a good start.

  12. I was looking for ways get more kale in my diet and voila! your post is the solution! I was specifically confused about making kale chips but your recipe explains the entire process so now I’m set. Thanks for sharing!

  13. That looks pretty good. I’ve been wanting to try kale. Dr. Oz was talking about it on his show earlier this week.

  14. Thanks for the recipe! I keep thinking to add kale to what we eat around here and this is helpful!

  15. I would love to find some good recipes for kale. I have tried kale chips and those aren’t for me. The Tuscan kale salad looks delicious. I would love to eat healthier and I think kale would be a great place to start. Thank you for the great post!

    Jennifer Hedden
    jenrenh@hotmail.com

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