erals like copper, calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium. Manganese used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron required for cellular oxidation and red blood cell formation.
Nutrients in kale offer protection from vitamin-A deficiency, osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia, and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases and colon and prostate cancers.
|Principle||Nutrient Value||% of RDA|
|Total Fat||1.49 g||5%|
|Dietary Fiber||4.1 g||11%|
|Pantothenic acid||0.370 mg||7%|
Kale is available at its best during winter months from November until March. Exposure of crop to light frost, in fact, enhances its eating quality. While harvesting, individual lower leaves may be picked either progressively as the main stem elongates or the whole plant is cut at the stem and packed in bundles. In the store, buy fresh green leaves featuring crispy, crunchy, brilliant dark blue-green color.
Borecole, like chard, is an extremely perishable leafy vegetable, so should be used quickly once harvested. If at all to be stored in the refrigerator, set its temperature below 35 degrees F and high humidity level to maintain vitality.
As in spinach, borecole should be washed thoroughly in clean running water and swished in saline water for about 10-15 minutes in order to remove soil, dirt and any fungicide/insecticide residues.
Just before cooking, remove tough stems, and separate wilted leaves from healthy ones. The leaves are generally blanched before use in the dshes.
Here are some serving tips:
Fresh, young, tender, crispy borecole can be used raw in salads.
Mature leaves and stalks typically cooked or Sautéed.
Tuscan kale leaves are popular winter staples in all over the Mediterranean, used in soups (ribollita toscana), stews, salads, pizza, and pasta.
In Japan, fresh kale juice is quite popular drink.
Because of its high vitamin-K content, patients taking anti-coagulants such as warfarin are encouraged to avoid kale since it increases the vitamin-K concentration in the blood, which is what the drugs are attempting to lower. This effectively raises the dose of the drug and can lead to toxicity.
Its leaves carry 0.2 g/100 g of oxalic acid, a value far less than some other comparable greens such as spinach (0.97 g/100) and purslane (1.31 g/100 g). It may be consumed, however with a caution, even in individuals with known oxalate urinary tract stones. Adequate intake of water is advised to maintain normal urine output. (Medical Disclaimer).
≻≻-Back to Vegetables from Kale nutrition. Visit here for an impressive list of vegetables with complete illustrations of their nutrition facts and health benefits.
≻≻-Back to Home page.
Stanford School of Medicine Cancer information Page- Nutrition to Reduce Cancer Risk.
Kale in the Garden- Extension Utah State University.