What the KALE? Top Reasons to Eat Kale Daily

Stacia
May 3, 2018
4 min read

Updated: Jan 26, 2023

Most nutritionist and Ayurvedic practitioners agree that kale is a great food to balance your hormones. Although it is by no means the only food to do that, it is a great start. It is related to cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens and Brussels sprouts.

A single cup of raw kale (about 67 grams or 2.4 ounces) contains 33 calories, and only 6 grams of carbs (2 grams/ fiber and 3 grams/protein).

Vitamin A: 206% of the 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.

It contains 3% or more of the RDA for Vitamin B1 (Thiamin), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Iron and Phosphorus.

1. Kale is rich in iron which stabilizes our thyroid and adrenal glands. By now most people already know the importance of iron in regulating the thyroid and adrenal glands. It may also be known that our thyroid glands are responsible for caloric burn, weight gain/loss, stabilizing our mood and providing us with energy. Lesser known is the function of our adrenal glands. The adrenals help with energy levels, and stabilizing our moods too; but, they also play a part in our fertility. Here’s the kicker, did you know that kale contains as much iron as beef? It’s true, calorie for calorie kale matches beef in the amount of iron.

2. Kale is rich in vitamin K and calcium which also help regulate estrogen and progesterone. So, if you’re having PMS symptoms like bloating or irritability, try eating some kale. Vitamin K is an important nutrient. It is needed for blood clotting. Kale contains almost 7 times the RDA.

3. It Is an Excellent Source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary in producing collagen, which we all want healthy looking skin and strong bones. Kale contains 4.5 times the amount in spinach and more than an orange. Now that is saying something.

4. Kale Is High in Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which is important to our eye health. We all know that as we age some of us start to have issues with our eyesight. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and carotenoid antioxidants are found in large amounts in kale which can lower the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration.

5. It is a good source of magnesium which can help with sleep, mood, protect against type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

6. Kale sis rich in potassium, which can help reduced blood pressure and a lower risk of heart disease.

7. Kale is rich in fiber and sulfur which are great for detoxifying your liver. Eating kale daily can help balance out the liver from sugars, toxins, and other un-healthy foods and drinks we consume.

8. Kale Is Very High in Beta-Carotene. It is high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant the body turns into vitamin A.

9. Kale Can Help Lower Cholesterol. The liver turns cholesterol into bile acids, those bile acids are released into the digestive system when we eat a high fat meal. Kale contains bile acid sequestrants which bind to bile acids which prevents them from being reabsorbed into the body. This in turn reduces the total amount of cholesterol in the body. Another plus is that this reaction can lower your risk of heart disease. Steamed kale is wonderful for this. Studies have found that steaming kale increases the bile acid sequestrants.

10. Kale is also rich in antioxidants like Quercetin and Kaempferol which are not just good for our immune system, they can also balance stress hormones like cortisol. Antioxidants are used by the body to counteract oxidative damage by free radicals in the body. Oxidative damage is thought to cause many issues within the body; such as, wrinkles, age spots, and many diseases, including cancer.

11. Kale contains Cancer Fighting vitamins and minerals such as sulforaphane, a substance that has been shown to help fight the formation of cancer at the molecular level and indole-3-carbinol, which is believed to help prevent cancer.

12. Kale could help with weight loss. It’s low in calories and is high in water content. Studies have shown that eating foods with a low energy density aids in weight loss. Kale just happens to be one of those low energy density foods. Plus, it makes you feel fuller, without the bloating. Who could ask for more? Another aspect of kale is that it contains protein and fiber which are important in weight loss.

Kale can be eaten in so many ways. It can be eaten raw in salads or smoothies (my fav), baked to make kale chips, steamed, or boiled. I like boiling mine in chicken broth and a little salt.

Here are some of my favorite recipes

Green Protein Drink: In a blender, combine 2 cups of kale, 1 cup frozen berries, 1/2 banana, 1 cup water, 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (my personal favorite is Vega), and 1 teaspoon chia seeds.

Egg & Kale Omelet: Heat skillet to medium heat. Poor about a table spoon or cap full of olive oil in a pan (I prefer to use a cast iron skillet to increase iron content), scramble two eggs and mix in ½ cup chopped kale, and a handful of mushrooms, add salt and pepper to taste. I like throwing in a little garlic powder too. Cook to desired consistency.

Kale Chips: Preheat oven to 325°F. Tear 2 cups kale into chip-size pieces, and toss with 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon coconut flour, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy.

Are You Eating These Greens & Weeds? You Should Be!

Stacia
Mar 3, 2018
5 min read

Updated: Jan 26, 2023

We have all heard it over and over again from our grandparents, parents, hopefully our doctor and nutritionists “Eat your greens!” Well there is a reason for that. But we need a variety of greens not just one or two. And they are not just for salads. Apparently the “Blue Zones” regions around the world rely on greens as the majority of their diets. There are more than 150 varieties and we typically only eat 3-4 of these. Eating a cup of greens daily seemed to be one of the keys to a longer life in Ikaria. These greens are full of vitamins and minerals like carotenoids that are body converts into Vitamin A, magnesium, iron, potassium, and calcium. Yes, I said calcium. All these are very beneficial to those with thyroid problems. The thyroid needs all these minerals to work properly and by adding these into your daily diet you can benefit your thyroid health.

Ok so let’s take a look at a few of these greens we can find in our local grocer or farmers market.

Arugula

Arugula is a spicy green that mixes well with other greens. It’s kind of peppery and makes a wonderful pesto This cruciferous veggie is a great source for vitamin A and folate. You can eat it cooked or raw

Collard Greens

Collard greens are a great way to lower cholesterol and are known for their cancer-fighting properties. They are rich in vitamins A, C, K, and calcium. You can boil them in chicken broth, sauté them with onions and garlic or even use them to make a breadless sandwich. I prefer them boiled in chicken broth personally. I use red leaf lettuce to make breadless sandwiches. But that’s just my personal opinion. The collard greens would hold up better because it is such a sturdy green. I just prefer the taste of the red leaf lettuce.

Dandelion Greens

How many times have you stepped over these beauties or worse, used pesticide to kill them? These are the dandelion greens you might find in your yard or the sidewalk. They are NOT A WEED they ARE FOOD. Ok now that we have that covered. They are a bit peppery and bitter; however, they do go very well in a salad along with spinach, butter lettuce, and red leaf lettuce. They kinda add a little kick to your salad. They are so good for you too. They are a good source of calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc, plus B vitamins and vitamins A, C, and D. They’ve also been used to support healthy kidney and liver function. My mom used to purchase dandelion pills to use as a natural diuretic, and to reduce bloating. If your gonna go on a foraging expedition, make sure you know the ground your picking you greens from. Don’t pick the ones that could have possibly been sprayed with pesticides. Your best bet is to grow them yourself in your own organic garden. You can buy the seeds online. Thankfully, people stopped seeing this wonderful green as a weed. I want to grow onion grass in my yard; unfortunately, people still see this as a weed and only sell pesticides to kill it, not grow it. ☹

Mizuna

What the heck is mizuna? I have only recently discovered this jam packed vitamin C green. It is a Japanese mustard green often found in baby green mixes. It has a milder taste than the dandelion but still a strong flavor. I heard many say it’s like a cross between kale and arugula. I’ve always eaten it along other greens and have quite enjoyed the flavor. Use it raw in salads, or chop it and stir into any soup, stew, or tofu scramble. I like it in salads, but I also throw it into Vietnamese Pho.

Rainbow Chard

One of my all-time favs. I just love chard. Ok, I love most all greens, chard just happens to be one that I buy a lot. Rainbow chard contains a unique set of phytonutrients and antioxidants, thanks to its multicolored stems and veins and it is loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, plus magnesium. It’s family tree includes the beets and believe it or not quinoa. You just boil these guys in chicken broth just like the collard greens or mustard greens. They taste great and I just love that they are so colorful that it makes it fun to eat. You can also remove the leaves from the stems and use the leaves like you would spinach. Sauté the stems with onions in soups or stews. The stems can also be used as a good healthy snack when stuffed with hummus.

Mâche

Mâche, also called lamb’s lettuce, is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. It is very velvety with a tender with a nutty flavor and this wonderful green veggie goes deliciously in a salad with other greens.

Try adding mâche to your smoothie, Yum.

Nettles

Now who would have ever considered eating the plant that stings you on those summer days hiking in the woods or running those dirt trails. I know I would never considered putting something in my mouth stat stung the fire out of my bare legs as I passed by too closely. But thankfully someone did and come to find out, it’s a superfood. One cup contains 7 calories, 2 grams of protein, and 6 grams of dietary fiber and provides 8 percent of your daily iron. That’s twice as much as a cup of spinach! To top it off it offers 42 percent of your daily calcium. Plus, they contain vitamin C, which helps you absorb iron. Can anyone say, “thyroid booster?” When you cook these, it takes out the sting; but wear gloves when you collect and when you prepare them. Just boil them the way you would kale, mustard greens, collard greens, etc. You get the idea. They can be found in many farmers markets or at co-ops in the spring. For those foraging friends of mine, (especially those new to foraging) be careful, know your area and the ground they are growing in. No one wants pesticides in their food. For a great after wok-out carb loading meal toss some with pasta, lemon juice and zest, and cashew cream. You could also add them to soups, especially Vietnamese Pho.

Turnip Greens

Turnip greens are the calcium superhorse of greens almost 20 percent of your daily value per cup. Some people think these are a bit bitter, me personally, I love these guys, especially with salt, pepper, a little butter, and a few splashes of Trappy’s Hot Peppers in Vinegar Juice. Just the way my Paw-Paw used to make them. Apparently, it’s the high calcium content that causes the bitter taste. I had no idea calcium was bitter, I’ve never had it alone. Cook them the same as your other greens. My personal fav is to cook them in chicken broth and a few green onions and maybe some Zoës Kitchen spice of life seasoning. If you don’t have a Zoës Kitchen near you, you can substitute with some oregano, parsley and garlic.

Until next time. Happy Eating Guys!

Stacia

#eathealthy #greens #arugula #dandelions #nettles #turnipgreens #mache #mizuna #rainbowchard #collardgreens

Eating well on any budget

Stacia
Feb 28, 2018
4 min read

Updated: Mar 26, 2023

Anyone can eat well on a budget. It's not as hard as you think. I'm going to show you how.

The one thing I here all the time is how expensive "healthy" food is compared to eating at a fast food restaurant. You may be able to spend $5.00 on a Big Mac or Chick-Fil-A meal; but, that is just one meal. If you were to purchase $5.00 worth of healthy foods you can make several meals. OK now lets take a really good look at one meal.

Organic Non-GMO

Chicken breast (2 Breasts) $7.99

Brussels Sprouts (1 bag) $2.98

Red potatoes (1 lb) $1.98

Total $12.95

Check out the recipe under Recipes

OK so now we have spent Apx. $14.00 on our meal. You could spend that easy in the drive through of many fast food restaurants for just one meal and a soda.

However, we have just spent $14.00 on not one but at least 2+ meals. The Brussels sprouts and the potatoes could be used on a third meal, depending on how much you actually eat.

Ok, now let's try that again.

Salmon $12.99/lb (apx 3-4 servings)

Asparagus $5.00/bundle (apx 3-4 servings)

Zucchini $3.75/3 (apx 3-6 servings)

Total $21.75 (3 healthy meals)

Check out the recipe under Recipes

You could pay the same for a large pizza, which many people do because eating healthy is just "too expensive". But as you can see eating healthy cost's really about the same and can often times be much cheaper. Not to mention the health benefits of eating a healthy diet compared to a fast food diet. You get fewer doctor visits, weight loss, better vision, decreased risk of diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer, etc. The list just goes on and on. Oh yeah and did I mention a healthy diet also can decrease blood pressure and cholesterol? Yep, it sure can, and think about all the money being spent on medications when all you needed to do was change your diet. That makes eating healthy extremely affordable. When you really think about it, eating a "cheap" unhealthy diet costs way more than eating healthy.

Let's take a good look at only one month and the cost of a regular unhealthy diet.

Doctors visit $125.00

Diabetes Medication $75.00-300 Depending on the medication and whether or not you take insulin shots.

Blood Pressure $20.-75 Depending on the medication and whether or not you have insurance.

Cholesterol Medication $20.-75 Depending on the medication and whether or not you have insurance. That is $240-575 for medical treatment alone and for many it is much more than that. We are just looking at the low end of things.

Food Apx $25/day (1 person) $750.00

That comes to a whopping $990.00- $1325.00 a month!GMO-free

Now, let's take a good look at only one month and the cost of a regular healthy diet.

Groceries (and I'm talking all organic GMO free products) apx $400/ month that is a $350.00 savings in food alone. That is about how much I spend each month and I only purchase organic, free-range, pasture-raisednon-GMO, grass fed, non GMO products. Yes. I buy all the "expensive" stuff but I don't take any medications and do not have regular doctors visits.

When you factor in all the medical that is a $590.00 - $925.00 difference in savings. So, with all this information, I am very confused as to how people continue to believe that eating a healthy diet is so much more expensive.

Not to mention the fact that if you made your own toothpaste (I have a recipe in another blog post) and made your own cleaning products (very easy to do) you could save even more money to buy those "expensive" healthy foods.

So,let's gets started on a healthier lifestyle and eating healthier. It will not only make you feel better, give you more energy, and better health; it will save you a ton of money in the long run. And who doesn't like saving money? I know I sure do.

And don't say "well I just don't have time to prepare and cook all these healthy meals". YOU DO HAVE TIME! Let's say you work Mon-Fri, you are off on Sat & Sun all meals can be pre-made and ready to take on the go sitting in your fridge. Many meals can be placed in the freezer too. All you have to do is come home, pre-heat the oven to about 350 degrees and put the meals in the oven for about 15-20 min and wala and there you have it. A healthy meal in 15 min with no prep time. You can make dinner while you change out of your work clothes, or whatever you typically do when you come home.

Ok, so we just covered meals for dinner. This also goes for breakfast and lunch too. There are so many breakfast options out there. You can make overnight oatmeal to take to work with you, a breakfast smoothie you can drink on your commute to work, boiled eggs you can eat in under a minute before you leave the house.

The options are limitless. Make pre-made lunches to take to work or school with you. When I was in college I used to take a chicken breast and veggies with me. Basically, I took leftovers grab-and-go from the night before. I would just make extra that night so I would have a nice lunch the next day. You can make pre-made tuna fish salad, put it in a container, and place some bread in a zip-loc bag. No soggy sandwiches. Or even make a ham or turkey sandwich the night before, place it in the fridge and you got lunch tomorrow.

There are so many breakfasts breakfast and lunches you can make right at home and save so much on eating "in" rather than eating out. As I said before the options are endless. Pinterest has a plethora of ideas, just type in overnight oatmeal and you've got a ton of recipes to choose from, type in grab-and-go breakfast, lunch, or snacks and again a ton of ideas right at your fingertips.

I hope I've given you some ideas on how to eat a healthy diet on a budget. If you have any questions or want to share some ideas of your own, please feel free to comment below. I'd love to hear

Happy eating and congratulations on a new you!