Several years ago kale began popping up in health magazines, then on menus, and now in every market. It was the new "queen of greens," and was called one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. It's a borecole, a leafy green vegetable, that comes curly, ornamental or dinosaur varieties. It's in the same family as cabbage, collards, broccoli and Brussel sprouts. Recently, however, there have been articles saying it's not all it was originally cracked up to be. Here's some nutritional information to help you decide for yourself.
One cupof chopped kale contains 33 calories, 9% of the daily value of calcium, 206%of vitamin A, 134%of vitamin C, and 684%of vitamin K. It is also a good source of copper, potassium, iron manganese and phosphorus. It has a high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A,C and K, and sulphur-containing phytonutrients. Additionally the carotenoids and flavonoids in kale are associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits.
On the negative side, too much vitamin K may be detrimental to anyone taking anticoagulants such as Warfarin. Kale may interfere with the drug. Kale also contains oxalates, that can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Finally, it may create hypothyroidism, if taken in large doses.
It looks to me like eating kale as part of a balanced diet is a good thing. Overdoing it is probably not a good idea. Also, whenever adding more fiber to your diet, do it slowly, to avoid, well, you know the consequences of too much fiber. As my mother always says, "Everything in moderation."
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