Kale is the poster child of healthy foods in the modern world. It’s probably got the best publicist in the food kingdom. Kale, a member of the cabbage family, is quite ubiquitous and versatile, finding its way into a variety of dishes such as kale smoothie, kale salad, kale chips, kale soup, etc. Despite its popularity, kale is notoriously difficult to be eaten in its original raw form. But will cooking kale make it less nutritious? Here’s the best way to cook kale to ensure you get the very best of its goodness.
Before we get there, here’s a little lowdown about our green leafy and all the benefits of kale.
What is kale?
Kale is a cruciferous vegetable belonging to the family of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Known scientifically as Brassica oleracea, kale has attained a “superfood” status in recent times, beating its cruciferous cousins in terms of nutrition. In a list of 41 most “powerhouse” foods kale ranked 15 with a nutrient density score of 49.07.
Kale comprises a short stem with crisp, curly dark green leaves, which are consumed in many forms. It’s mostly eaten raw in a salad.
What are the health benefits of kale?
There are not many studies on kale, but the popular consensus is that it’s one of the best things you can eat.
Kale can be beneficial for people with gastric ulcers, high cholesterol levels, hyperglycemia, rheumatism, and liver diseases.
Kale has more iron than meat; 2-3 times more calcium than milk; at least 3 times more folic acid than eggs and double the amount of vitamin C than oranges.
Isothiocyanates in kale help in weight loss and fight cancer. Phenolic compounds protect the nervous system, reduce inflammation, reduce the growth of cancer cells and fight bacteria. Carotenoids work like antioxidants, protecting nerve cells and controlling obesity and diabetes.
Are gluten free foods healthier?
Best way to cook kale
Kale is very nutritious, no doubt, but you have to consume it correctly to get its optimum benefits.
Kale doesn’t exactly taste like chocolate cake. That’s why we may be tempted to dunk it in batter and deep fry it, mask it with a million spices or blast it in an air fryer to make “kale chips.”
Overcooking it or exposing it to a lot of heat can cause a loss of its antioxidants, flavonoids, organic acids and minerals.
Even a “safer” water-based cooking technique like boiling can cause a reduction in the vitamin C content of kale.
But the secret to getting the best out of kale lies in its cooking. Here’s what science has to say about the best way to cook kale to retain its health benefits.
Kale is rich in bioactive substances that can improve your overall health if you eat it often.
In a study published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, steaming was the best way to cook kale to preserve its antioxidants and bioactive compounds.
In another one published in the journal Food Chemistry, steaming kale increased the antioxidant activity.
Steaming is a gentle cooking method that can preserves all the good nutrients in the green leafy vegetable.
Cooking techniques can negatively affect the vitamin C content of kale, with water-based cooking methods causing the greatest reduction.