Benefits of substituting kale into your diet

By Jessye Gentry |Staff Writer|

A single cup of raw kale (about 67 grams or 2.4 ounces), approximately the size of your fist, contains four vitamins and five minerals.

The nutritive values of kale are as follows:

• Vitamin A: 206% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) (from beta-carotene).
• Vitamin K: 684% of the RDA.
• Vitamin C: 134% of the RDA.
• Vitamin B6: 9% of the RDA.
• Manganese: 26% of the RDA.
• Calcium: 9% of the RDA.
• Copper: 10% of the RDA.
• Potassium: 9% of the RDA.
• Magnesium: 6% of the RDA.
• Then it contains 3% or more of the RDA for Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Iron and Phosphorus, according to Authority Nutrition, an online nutrition, health and weight loss information provider.

Since kale has a very low calorie count, it is one of the world’s most nutrient dense foods.

Kale can help lower cholesterol, which reduces the risk of heart disease.

Most importantly, there are tons of cancer-fighting substances in kale, such as sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol.

Lutein and zeaxanthin are nutrients found in kale that help protect the eyes from cataracts.

“A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil,” according to allaboutvision.com.

Kale is also a weight loss-friendly food, because it contains protein and fiber.

It is relatively easy to add kale to your daily diet.

There are kale chips!

According to Authority Nutrition, drizzling extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil, sprinkling some salt on top and baking them, makes it a delicious snack.

You can also make kale shakes and salads, or just simply try to add it to recipes.