Eating kale daily: Frequently asked questions

Kale (Brassica oleracea) is a wonder vegetable that has many positives, and very few negatives.

It is as nutritious and powerful as the other members of its family like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

Eating kale daily was always a thing, but lately even more as there are many studies supporting the claims about this leafy legend.

Is kale a superfood?

Yes, kale is considered a superfood because it is rich in essential vitamins A, C, B6, K, E, and minerals like copper, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Furthermore, it is a source of proteins and fiber.

Kale nutrition facts in 100 g

What are kale benefits for males?

Literature shows that kale nutrition benefits are various. However, they don’t differ much from benefits for females.

Furthermore, I stumbled upon a study where kale juice was given to men who had high cholesterol levels. The LDL-cholesterol concentration in the serum was reduced by 10 percent.

Consequently, eating or in this case drinking kale juice can improve coronary artery disease risk factors (Kim et al, 2008).

What are the main benefits of kale? 

Kale contains antioxidants 

Antioxidants are molecules that fight off free radicals and protect our cells from damage.

Antioxidants in kale:

• Vitamin C
• Glucosinolates
• Carotenoids
• Phenolic compounds

Does kale have an anti-inflammatory effect?

Yes, kale nutrition does have an anti-inflammatory effect. A recent study presents evidence for this benefit.

So here is what happened during the study: 

1. They fermented kale juice with one type of bacteria
2. Bacteria grew colonies in the fermented juice
3. The fermented juice showed strong antioxidants and reduced inflammation by lowering nitric oxide production
4. Later on, gene analysis was performed and it showed that factors causing inflammation were reduced

So this study not only showed an anti-inflammatory effect but also confirmed once again kale’s antioxidant properties (Kim et al., 2023).

What are kale’s benefits for the skin?

Regularly eating kale can do wonders for your skin, keeping it healthy and glowing.

You wonder how? Well, here is the answer:

High concentrations of carotenoids can prevent the degradation of collagen, a protein that is very important part of our skin.

Furthermore, the presence of flavonoids helps with protection from UV light. Consequently decreasing the chance of skin cancer (Moskwa et al., 2023).

You can achieve these benefits through the old-fashioned way – eating it or trying out some products like cleanser and face wash that are becoming popular.

Is raw kale bad for you?

Raw kale is not bad for you, On the contrary, it is very beneficial and  and by consuming it  raw you can experience it’s perks to the fullest. 

Is kale good for weight loss?

Well, I would say kale nutrition can help with weight loss because:

• Low-calorie content. You can include kale in your everyday meal combinations without worrying about calories. This is the way it is recommended as part of many diets.

• Improves lipid metabolism. This was proven during a study on mice, but they are mammals and so are we, so I believe it is relevant (Raychaudhuri et al., 2021).

Specifically, it showed that kale rich diet lowered levels of LDL cholesterol. I am sure you have heard that high cholesterol causes all kinds of problems for some people. 

If you are one of those people, consider including more kale in your meals.

Is it good to eat kale every day?

Yes, eating kale daily is good. However, like with everything else it should be done in moderate amounts and in combination with other food.

You should really think about whether the kale you eat is raw or cooked, but eating 1-2 cups every day shouldn’t cause any problems for you.

Is kale healthier than spinach?

There are a few aspects to this to consider. In some of them kale is healthier and in some spinach is the winner.

Let’s analyze a few of these aspects.

• Spinach is an oxalate-rich vegetable while kale has a low content of oxalates. 

Oxalates are products of metabolism found in many plants. They are not needed for the human body to perform its functions.

Oxalates can trap and decrease the availability of magnesium in our body therefore it means eating more spinach than kale can have a bad effect.

The study found that people absorbed less magnesium from the meal with spinach (26.7%, on average) compared to the meal with kale (36.5%, on average).

This is the case where kale wins as it has a low content of oxalates.

Why is kale good for your gut?

Kale contains a lot of dietary fiber so it really does help with gut health.

Here is how:

• helps with  mild constipation in women
• increasing stool bulk and  stool frequency
• prevents conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis 
• prevents gut dysbiosis

Gut dysbiosis is when there is a disbalance of gut microbiota.

•  increases the number of  beneficial gut microorganisms
•  decreases the number of “bad” microorganisms (Raychaudhuriet al., 2023)
• it has hypoglycemic effects – it decreases glucose levels in the blood (Kondo et al. 2016)

Does kale have some side effects?

Everything good has to come to an end. Okay, it is not that serious but kale does have some side effects.

• Contains oxalates. Even though it has fewer oxalate concentrations than spinach, they are still present and they are still preventing magnesium absorption.

• I mentioned that kale contains glucosinolates. That is a good thing.  However, there is a specific glucosinate that can prevent iodine uptake by the thyroid cells. So, this is a bad thing. Low iodine levels can cause hypothyroidism.

On the bright side, cooking kale can lower concentrations of both of these molecules so you might consider that.

Again, consume moderately and combine with other food, and you should be fine.

Raw kale vs Cooked kale?

I have some bad news for those of you who like to cook kale.

During the research, analyses showed that levels of vitamin C dropped by 89%, and polyphenols by 56%.

For those of you in need of beta – carotene there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Their losses were at about 5%, so they remained stable.

What is up with kale powder?

Just when you thought kale couldn’t infiltrate your life any further, some genius went and pulverized it into a fine powder. This form still contains all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients already mentioned. 

Clinical studies reported that the consumption of kale powder for 8 weeks improved blood pressure and glucose levels to normal concentrations.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to consume a forest floor, kale powder is here to answer your oddly specific craving.

Final word

Whether you call kale a superfood or not it stands out as a vegetable with remarkable nutritional profile. It has many science-backed-up benefits and diverse ways of how to include it in your everyday nutrition. Embracing kale as a dietary essential can pave the way for a healthier lifestyle and contribute to long-term vitality.

So, next time when you spot kale just buy it and continue to unlock its potential.

Literature:

Ortega-Hernández, E., Antunes-Ricardo, M., & Jacobo-Velázquez, D. A. (2021). Improving the Health-Benefits of Kales (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala DC) through the Application of Controlled Abiotic Stresses: A Review. Plants (Basel, Switzerland), 10(12), 2629. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122629

Bohn T, Davidsson L, Walczyk T, Hurrell RF. Fractional magnesium absorption is significantly lower in human subjects from a meal served with an oxalate-rich vegetable, spinach, as compared with a meal served with kale, a vegetable with a low oxalate content. Br J Nutr. 2004 Apr;91(4):601-6. doi: 10.1079/BJN20031081. PMID: 15035687.

Abdel-Aal, el-S. M., Akhtar, H., Zaheer, K., & Ali, R. (2013). Dietary sources of lutein and zeaxanthin carotenoids and their role in eye health. Nutrients, 5(4), 1169–1185. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu5041169

Sikora E, Bodziarczyk I. Composition and antioxidant activity of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) raw and cooked. Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment. 2012 Jul-Sep;11(3):239-48. PMID: 22744944.

Kim, G. Y., Kim, S. A., Kong, S. Y., Seong, H., Bae, J. H., & Han, N. S. (2023). Synergistic Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Kale Juice Fermented with Limosilactobacills reuteri EFEL6901 or Limosilactobacills fermentum EFEL6800. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 12(10), 1850. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12101850

Sikora E, Bodziarczyk I. Composition and antioxidant activity of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) raw and cooked. Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment. 2012 Jul-Sep;11(3):239-48. PMID: 22744944.

Raychaudhuri, S., Shahinozzaman, M., Subedi, U., Fan, S., Ogedengbe, O., & Obanda, D. N. (2023). The Vegetable ‘Kale’ Protects against Dextran-Sulfate-Sodium-Induced Acute Inflammation through Moderating the Ratio of Proinflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory LPS-Producing Bacterial Taxa and Augmenting the Gut Barrier in C57BL6 Mice. Nutrients, 15(14), 3222. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15143222

Kondo, S., Suzuki, A., Kurokawa, M., & Hasumi, K. (2016). Intake of kale suppresses postprandial increases in plasma glucose: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Biomedical reports, 5(5), 553–558. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2016.767

Kim SY, Yoon S, Kwon SM, Park KS, Lee-Kim YC. Kale juice improves coronary artery disease risk factors in hypercholesterolemic men. Biomed Environ Sci. 2008 Apr;21(2):91-7. doi: 10.1016/S0895-3988(08)60012-4. PMID: 18548846.
Raychaudhuri, S., Fan, S., Kraus, O., Shahinozzaman, M., & Obanda, D. N. (2021). Kale supplementation during high fat feeding improves metabolic health in a mouse model of obesity and insulin resistance. PloS one, 16(8), e0256348. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256348