Kale: The Green Osteoporosis Kicker!

- by Zannie Rose

I enjoyed an 8 week program I did with a nutritionist a few months ago.  I was looking to become slim again  and thought that a program might help. We looked at what I was eating and how that could be changed where necessary  to support me to get  where I wanted to go.

The nutritionist was a great advocate of eating green veggies and was passionate about kale. I had only cooked kale a few times, and when I did it was usually lightly fried with onions in a  little olive oil. The closest I got to eating it raw was nibbling a  bit of the kale when chopping and cooking.

I was surprised to hear that  kale  was often the main ingredient in  her green veggie drinks. I was intrigued and willing to at least give it a try.  I bought a pack from the supermarket, but it sat in the fridge for a few days.

I know, one of the golden rules is to eat our greens fresh, but bear with me, I was  a bit of a newbie in all of this and up till then I had never made a smoothie,  let alone a green smoothie.

My only experience had been treating myself to a bottle of fruit smoothie now and then.

Luckily  someone sent me her favourite kale recipe , which I tried out as it was simple and easy  and  I thoroughly enjoyed making it up and drinking it down.

Here it is what she sent me:

Kindergarten Kale

Ingredients:

• A handful of kale
• A handful of blueberries
• One banana

Directions:

Blend and enjoy.

I knew instinctively that kale must be good for me as it is so green , and when I was walking round a local whole foods market  a few weeks ago , I noticed a sign that put  kale at the very top of the vegetable nutritional table.

Until then I would have said spinach was top of the pops.  This new information got me inspired to do some research on the nutritional value of kale and  I found out it is very good for improving vision, as it is a great source of two carotenoids, zeaxanthin and lutein .

Plus kale is useful in decreasing the likelihood of cancer developing because it is a rich source of liver supporting  glucosinolates and kale helps maintain and reclaim bone health due to it being high in bone building vitamin K1.

My mother was very worried about developing osteoporosis as she had seen her own mother diminishing in size over the years. Her solution was to take HRT, and since her doctor refused to prescribe it any more a few years ago I have noticed significant changes in her body. I am so grateful for this useful piece of information about the link between kale and bone health and will be sharing it with my daughter too.

Enjoy your adventures with kale and do share any other green smoothie recipes that use kale, as I know variety will help me maintain enthusiasm and keep me playing

Zannie Rose

2010

References

Vitamin K

http://www.vitaminherbuniversity.com/topic.asp?categoryid=1&topicid=1011

Vitamin K intake and hip fractures in women: a prospective study

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9925126