Health Benefits of Kale

Kale is among one of the most nutritional vegetables around even though it may not spend much nights on the dining room table as would spinach, lettuce, broccoli and even Brussels sprouts. But this member of the Brassica family of vegetables sure does know how to pack quite a nutritional punch and keep up with the all stars of dining room vegetables. Kale has many health benefits that may just tempt you to add more kale to your diet.

One of the health benefits of this wonder vegetable is that it is loaded with a lot of vitamins. Kale contains a healthy serving of vitamin A, B-vitamins, vitamins C, E and K and has many essential minerals. These vitamins and minerals help to keep the body fit and healthy. B-vitamins help to give the body energy to last throughout the day, vitamin K helps the blood to clot and vitamins A, C and E are known antioxidants that rid the body of dangerous free radicals.

As such, kale has the health benefit of fighting cancer. Green leafy vegetables such as kale have some of the most powerful cancer fighting phytonutrients. Kale is an excellent source of gluosinolates, a substance that helps the body to render harmful substances harmless. Several studies have shown that people who eat kale regularly have a decreased chance of getting cancers. So load up on kale and green leafy vegetables to ward off cancer.

A few of the minerals that kale just happens to contain are magnesium, potassium and calcium, which make kale an even more powerful vegetable against sicknesses. These three minerals have been shown in numerous studies to lower blood pressure. So eating kale and green leafy vegetables such as kale may help to lower your blood pressure.

Kale benefits the body because it is low in calories. Now, you'll say that most vegetables are low in calories, so what's the difference? But did you know that kale ranks among one of the most calorie-light vegetables around with just 36 calories in one boiled cup. That's right; kale is a delicious and nutritious vegetable to add to your weight loss diet.

Another health benefit of kale is that it is good for the eyes. Though kale is no carrot or squash by appearance, when it comes to protecting the eyes against adult blindness and cataracts kale ranks among the best. So don't let the leafy green appearance fool you; it's not just bright colored fruits that have a fantastic punch of lutein and beta-carotene.

So whenever you feel the need for a delicious and nutritious punch of a vegetable remember to keep kale in mind. Kale has so many health benefits that it deserves its spot among the nightly dining room all star of vegetables.