By Sarah Clachar
From Taste for Life, November 2006
Every winter I marvel as the kale in my garden stands tall and green when all other vegetables have succumbed to December’s snows. A vegetable that hardy has to offer me some outstanding nutrition. And scientists are supporting that hunch, revealing kale to be a superfood that should be on all of our plates.
Kale has held a revered place in many cultures that depended on its durability and nutrition. Many communities in north-western Germany have yearly kale festivals with a “kale king”. In the British isles, it is considered a mystical plant, a favorite ride for fairies. In Scotland, kale is so essential that in Scots dialect the word for kale is equivalent to food. To be “off one’s kail” is to feel too ill to eat.
Modern day research has confirmed kale’s legendary status. Kale, along with other dark leafy vegetables, has been recommended by the American Heart Association for it’s role in keeping our hearts healthy. Folate and vitamin B6, both found in kale, work together to break down homocysteine, a molecule found in the blood that at high levels has been linked to coronary disease and stroke.
Even more outstanding is kale’s cancer-fighting properties. Numerous studies have indicated that cruciferous vegetables (kale, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower) contain components called isothiocyanates that regulate a complex system of enzymes that help fight cancer. These molecules have been shown to stop the growth of cancer cells in the breast, endometrium (lining of body cavities), lungs, colon, liver and cervix. Research has shown that people who have diets high in cruciferous vegetables have significantly lower risk for lung, colorectal and prostate cancer. One recent study found that mice who had cruciferous vegetables in their diet had 25% less precancerous polyps than mice who did not have any in their diet. And mice that ate twice as much cruciferous vegetables than the first group had even half as many tumors. Also, in the mice who ate kale and its cousins, the tumors were smaller and slower-growing. So the more you eat, the better! Researchers have found that these compounds might actually induce cancer cell suicide as well as work with enzymes to slow tumor growth.
Kale’s isothiocyanates are not working alone to fight cancer. Kale is very high in Vitamin A and carotenoids which are essential to immune system health and can also help in fighting many types of cancer. The Iowa Women’s Health Study found that the women who ate the most dark green leafy vegetables, high in carotenoids, were found to have less than half (44%) the risk for ovarian cancer as subjects who ate the least amount of these nutrient-rich leaves. Kale rounds out this nutritional power surge with excellent doses of Vitamins C, K, manganese, and good amounts of iron, calcium, potassium, and fiber.
Kale is not just a hit with doctors. “ I love to cook with kale,” raves Chef Annie Somerville of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, “particularly dinosaur or Tuscan kale.” She recommends parboiling it in lightly salted water and sautéing it with a little garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and toasted nuts. A touch of raisins or apple can also balance off its mustardy bite. It makes a great addition to pasta and balances off potatoes superbly. Young and tender kale makes a great addition to winter salads and a leaf or two tossed in a smoothie will just add to the nutrition without altering the taste. Kale is delicious in soups, as well.
Kale comes in several guises. Dinosaur kale looks like a leaf out of the Jurassic period. Red Russian and curly-leafed kale is more hardy and stronger-tasting. Purchase kale that shows no sign of wilting. The fresher it is, the less bitter the taste. (That bitter taste is probably some of those cancer-fighting nutrients.) When purchased in the winter months, kale is more likely to have a sweeter, milder taste brought on by a good frost.
Sauteed, steamed or raw – take a bite of this curly-leafed wonder and remember what Turkish diners say on the subject of kale: “Every leaf you chew adds another branch to the tree of your life!” The science is there to prove it.