2011-11-15

Kale is Awesome!

My vegetable of the week this week is KALE!  Since becoming a nutritarian, I really had not had much kale in general.  I always thought it was pretty expensive, but kale bunches actually stretch pretty far.  On Dr. Fuhrman's food score scale, kale is #1 with 1000 points!

For those of you that don't have a Dr. Fuhrman's Nutrient Density Scores, here it is a condensed version of it:
Nutrient Scores
1000-500                      Kale, Collards, Bok Choy, Spinach, Arugula
500-100                        Cabbage, Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Peppers,
                                         Artichoke, Carrots, Asparagus, Strawberries, Pomegranate Juice,
                                         Tomato, Blueberries, Iceburg Lettuce, Orange, Lentils            
100-50                           Cantaloupe, Kidney Beans, Tofu, Sweet Potato, Sunflower Seeds,
                                          Apple, Peach, Green Peas, Cherries, Flax Seeds, Pineapple,
                                          Oatmeal, Mango
50-30                             Cucumber, Corn, Soybeans, Salmon, Almonds, Shrimp, Avacado,
                                         Skim Milk, Grapes, White Potato
30-20                             Walnuts, Banana, Chicken Breast, Eggs, Peanut Butter,
                                         Whole Wheat Bread, Feta Cheese
20-1                               Whole Milk, Ground Beef, White Pasta, White Bread, Apple Juice,
                                          Low Fat Yogurt, Potato Chips, American Cheese,
                                         Vanilla Ice Cream, French Fries, Olive Oil, Cola

Today I put Kale in my Pumpkin Wild Rice Soup before I zapped it in the microwave, and it was delicious!  
What is your favorite way to eat Kale?

3 comments:

  1. Is kale something you throw into things or eat raw, i.e. broccoli? I too have heard how high kale is in nutrients but I don't know of any dish that is specifically meant to utilize it, do you have any suggestions?

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  2. Thanks for your question Tina. Great way to put it, kale is like broccoli because you can enjoy it raw or cooked! I like to add kale to a lot of my dishes, including raw in salads, on top of pizzas, in green smoothies, blanched (boil kale for approx. 2 minutes, then strain and allow to cool) in beans and greens dishes, in soups, or sauted. If you're new to adding kale to your diet, I'd try the cooked versions first, then slowly start adding them to your raw dishes like slaws and salads. I remember when I first tried it I would have never been able to eat a salad based from kale, now it's a favorite. I have some kale in my fridge that I need to use up before I leave my school town for Thanksgiving break, so I'll make a post tomorrow or Friday about some ways I love to eat kale. Hopefully that will inspire you to add more of this nutritious green to your menu :) -ANK

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  3. Thank you!!! Those are some interesting ideas that I will have to try. I've never considered it on a pizza before! I'm looking forward to checking back in about your kale recipe and good job on the blog, I had a lot of fun reading through it.

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