Ewwwww…. Kale!!!! Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuckity-yuck!
Happy hump day, you guys!! This post is about… you guessed it- KALE. That wonderfully awesome chock-full-of-nutrients superfood- that also tastes like utter crap. Either you like kale, or you’re wrong. Lol, just kidding, my dad used to LOVE kale. Apparently, my grandma made this awesome cooked kale and barley dish, but I’ve never had it, and don’t know the recipe- and no one who knew it is still alive. 🙁
Soooo… after a health scare, I asked a doctor who specializes in integrative medicine for some nutritional advice (read about it here), and I really started eating healthy again. I used to do bodybuilding (natural, no drugs), so I’m accustomed to strict diets. But this time, now that we have a blog, I wanted to make sure to include ingredients that are good for anti-aging purposes, too.
I decided what better way to start than with the fad food of the moment- KALE. Well, apparently, there’s actually a National Kale Day, and it just happened on October 4- who “woulda thunk” it…?!?! Anyway, there is a website dedicated to it- NationalKaleDay.org, so I turned to that site for some info.
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In just 33 calories per serving, kale provides 134% of the recommended amount of Vitamin C (more than an orange!), 684% of Vitamin K, 204% of Vitamin A, and is an excellent source of calcium and iron. It also contains anti-inflammatory nutrients and glucosinolates, as well as antioxidant anthocyanins (National Kale Day, 2015).
With all these nutrients, including 45 different flavonoids, kale can potentially help prevent cancer. A gram of fiber and three grams of protein per serving can also aid in diabetes and weight management. Additionally, carotenoids can help improve one’s optimism (National Kale Day, 2015). So, who on earth wouldn’t want to eat this magical wonder stuff…?!?!
Mean Green juice
Me, that’s who. I can tell you it’s disgusting in juice…lol! A while back, Jerry got this brilliant idea that he wanted to juice for a couple weeks after reading about the Gerson Institute. I swear, after about a week of that, I wanted to take the juicer to the shooting range and use it for target practice. (The only person I know who actually likes the Mean Green is my friend Preston Shane- but, he’s an MMA fighter, so I think maybe he got hit in the head and that’s why he likes it…) Perhaps this superfood would taste better if I ate it whole rather than juicing it, huh?
Icky kale “chips”
I was wrong. It was still disgusting. I even tried making kale “chips,” thinking they’d be good for snacking. Nope. They were still really gross (read this post). But, if I’m on a “mission,” I’m not one to give up! I decided to keep on trying to find a way to force myself to ingest this hideousness that is kale.
Granted, there are “greens” supplements out there, I even have several powdered greens mixes. While I do use supplements occasionally, I prefer to get my nutrients from whole foods, and resort to supplements only when needed- such as if I’m out of something. (Wouldn’t it be nice if I could always be “out” of kale?)
Tolerable kale salad- I was out of tomatoes (too bad I couldn’t have been out of kale…lol)
After trying numerous methods of trying to enjoy kale- I found a way that’s tolerable. I started making salads with feta/goat cheese, tomatoes, red onions, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette. If it’s right after a workout, I add some grilled chicken breast. I’ve even switched it up a bit and used a Greek vinaigrette and some grilled lamb- delicious! I think the key is to use ingredients with strong enough flavor profiles to “cancel out” the kale.
Well, after eating oatmeal daily (the real stuff, not the instant), eating kale almost every day, and making smarter choices, my cholesterol went down 13 points! I also feel better, and have more energy (when allergies/sinuses don’t have me down…lol), and the best part aside from the health aspects? I still get carded to buy wine- thank you, Angie!
So, obviously, finding a way to tolerate this yuck has paid off. Maybe I’ll eventually acquire a taste for the stuff, like Preston. Until then, kale and I will continue to have a love/hate relationship! 😉
Do you like kale? Do you have any good kale recipes? Scroll down to comment below?
Source:
National Kale Day (2015). Kale 101. National Kale Day. Retrieved October 25, 2017, from www.nationalkaleday.org.
