Superfood Kale

Kale is indeed one of the most popular vegetables in terms of nutrient density, and it is fully worthy of the nutritional rating of "super food". However, there is no need to mythologise it, let alone to follow the trend of healthy people and chew raw leaves. Eat it according to your own taste and physical condition, so that its value can be maximized.

To be honest, the first time I came into contact with kale, I stepped into a big trap. Last year, I saw the fitness blogger Amway and stocked up three kilograms of frozen version at one go. For the first meal, I added bananas to make a milkshake. The frozen grassy smell mixed with the astringent taste went straight to my forehead. I almost spit it out after taking a sip. The remaining two and a half kilograms turned around and gave it to the neighbor next door who has been playing iron all year round. When he took it, his eyes lit up and he said it was a must-buy for him every week.

Later, I checked the USDA food nutrition database and found that its nutrition is really impressive: 100g of raw kale has more than 7 times the daily recommended intake of vitamin K, 2 times the vitamin A, and almost the same vitamin C content as half an orange. It also has sufficient dietary fiber and glucosinolates that have been proven to have antioxidant effects. The calories are only just over 30 calories. It is no exaggeration to say that it is an all-around top vegetable.

However, there have been a lot of controversies about kale in the past two years. There are two groups of people around me who are quarreling. One group touts it as a miracle drug for reducing fat, saying that if you eat it every day, you can lose five pounds in a week. ； The other group says that it has high oxalic acid content, and eating too much of it can easily cause stones and damage the thyroid gland, so it should not be touched. In fact, both sides are a bit extreme. It is true that oxalic acid is high, but as long as they do not have kidney stones or abnormal thyroid function, ordinary people can remove more than 60% of the oxalic acid by boiling it in water for 30 seconds. Eating one or two handfuls a day will not reach the disease-causing dose. Those who say it can reduce fat also ignore the premise: if you mix a salad with two tablespoons of Thousand Island dressing, make a milkshake with half a cup of ice cream, the total calories will be higher than eating a hamburger, and no matter how low-calorie the ingredients are, they cannot be made like this.

After I stepped on a few pitfalls myself, I also figured out a few ways to eat them without stepping on them at all. The most popular thing in my family is the grilled crisps: tear the leaves into small pieces, and be sure to remove the hard fibrous stems in the middle - many people think that kale is too hard to chew, and 90% of kale comes from a pot without removing the stems. Spray a thin layer of olive oil, sprinkle with some sea salt and black pepper, bake in the oven at 150 degrees for 10 minutes, and it will be crispy when taken out. It is much more fragrant than potato chips. Children in my family who don't like vegetables rush to eat it. A friend from Guangdong also taught me how to eat it. Use it to pour soup, add sliced ​​salted eggs and preserved eggs, and cook it for three to five minutes until the leaves are soft.

I once saw a funny video of a fitness blogger. In order to film his daily routine of losing weight, he chewed a bowl of raw kale salad until his face became distorted. After turning off the camera, he turned around and bought a cake that was full of juice. Instead, he consumed more unnecessary calories. In fact, to put it bluntly, kale is essentially a nutritious vegetable. It is neither a fat-reducing miracle drug nor a scourge. If you can't tolerate its taste, you can eat broccoli, spinach, and rapeseed. The nutrition of these vegetables is not much different. There is no need to embarrass yourself for the title of "super food."

Yesterday, I saw fresh kale in the imported supermarket downstairs. It was half the price compared to last year when it first became popular. I bought a handful and baked them into crispy chips at night to drink with iced Coke while watching dramas. It was much safer than eating puffed food. To put it bluntly, ingredients that make you happy and comfortable when eating are your “super foods”.