Kale
Kale is definitely a superstar vegetable, even though most people don't know what it is. (It's a green, weird-looking leafy vegetable that is actually a form of cabbage. Now you know.)
Kale is the highest ranked vegetable on the ORAC scale, a measure of antioxidant power. (It's value is 1770; the next best vegetable is spinach with a rating of 1260.)
It's a member of the brassica family of vegetable royalty and, like other members of this family (cabbage, for example), contains powerful phytochemicals like cancer-fighting indoles which have been found to have a protective efect against breast, cervical and colon cancer.
It also contains sulforaphane which helps trigger detoxifying liver enzymes, helping the body to rid itself of chemicals and free radicals that may cause cellular and DNA damage.
Whole foods makes a really tasty raw kale salad with dried cranberries and pine nuts. It's also great stir fried in some coconut oil (I use Barlean's).
Kale is the highest ranked vegetable on the ORAC scale, a measure of antioxidant power. (It's value is 1770; the next best vegetable is spinach with a rating of 1260.)
It's a member of the brassica family of vegetable royalty and, like other members of this family (cabbage, for example), contains powerful phytochemicals like cancer-fighting indoles which have been found to have a protective efect against breast, cervical and colon cancer.
It also contains sulforaphane which helps trigger detoxifying liver enzymes, helping the body to rid itself of chemicals and free radicals that may cause cellular and DNA damage.
Whole foods makes a really tasty raw kale salad with dried cranberries and pine nuts. It's also great stir fried in some coconut oil (I use Barlean's).
Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. is a nationally known expert on weight loss and nutrition and is the author of several best-sellers.
