Kale is, arguably, one of the hottest food trends of the last couple of years. So what’s all the hype around kale about?
Is kale good for you
Oh boy… If you’ve been around here for a while you know that I can’t stand this need to label foods as “good” or “bad”. It’s all just food. However, the average American diet is woefully deficient in green leafy vegetables, so let’s talk about kale nutrition a bit. Kale has an impressive amount of Vitamins A, C, K and folate. It also has a good amount of calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. And unlike spinach, where very little of its calcium is available to the body, about half of the calcium in kale is available for absorption by your body. I still wouldn’t call is a “superfood” (mostly because I can’t stand that term either), but it does have an impressive amount of nutrition.
Is kale good for dogs
Again, I’m not a veterinarian, but I would use caution when giving your dog kale. While not toxic it does contain a fair amount of calcium oxalate which can cause kidney or bladder stones in dogs. In small doses, this isn’t a problem, but it’s not the best idea to feed your dog a kale salad every night. Moderation for people and pets!
Is kale bad for you
Um…see above. No, but in all seriousness, there are some groups of people that probably shouldn’t launch themselves headfirst into the kale craze. As I mentioned pertaining to dogs and kale, kale contains a fair amount of calcium oxalates. These generally aren’t an issue, but if you’re predisposed to kidney or bladder stones you should try to limit oxalate intake. In moderate amounts for the average person, they aren’t likely to pose an issue, but just something to keep in mind. Those on warfarin (a blood thinner) should also be cautious about just adding a bunch of kale to their diet due to its Vitamin K content. In general though, kale is a nutritious vegetable option for most people!
Is kale keto
There isn’t a black-and-white answer to this one. Since keto is predicated on consuming a very low number of carbohydrates, technically anything could be keto in small enough quantities. Kale is a lower carbohydrate vegetable, however, so it wouldn’t be too challenging to fit this veggie into a keto eating pattern.
Is kale a vegetable
Yes it is! And, more specifically, it’s a green leafy vegetable.
Is kale high in iron
Kale has iron, but <0.5mg per cup. For context, ¼ cup of black beans has 4.5mg of iron. So, it’s there, but it isn’t the best plant-based source of iron.
Is kale healthy
Once again, nothing is ever as simple as “healthy” or “not healthy”. To read about the health benefits, refer above to “is kale good for you”.
Is kale safe for cats
Again, not a veterinarian, I’m a human dietitian not an animal dietitian. From my understanding of cats, however, they’re primarily carnivores. Since kale is a vegetable I doubt they’d really benefit from it at all. I’d say probably don’t feed your cat kale, though if you really want to maybe consult your veterinarian first.
Is kale high in potassium
Not especially. As I mentioned above, kale has a decent amount of potassium. It isn’t high in potassium, however, and there are much better sources. Potatoes (which I previously covered here), lentils, bananas, milk, etc. are all much better sources of potassium than kale. Though it does still have a decent amount that shouldn’t entirely be discounted.
Is kale high in fiber
Not really. Kale has about 1 gram of fiber per cup. Not insignificant, but you’d have to eat a lot of kale to get all your fiber. Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, etc.), beans, nuts and seeds, and other fruits and vegetables are a better source of fiber.
Does kale have iron
Yes it does, though it isn’t high in iron and shouldn’t be your only source of iron.
Does kale have protein
Yes it does, though again not a lot. Fun fact: most foods contain some amount of protein. That’s right, your fruits and veggies have tiny amounts of protein in them! Some more than others, but in general they have little amounts. Kale has about 0.5 gram of protein per cup.
Does kale have fiber
We just covered this in “is kale high in fiber”. Yes it does have fiber, but not a lot.
Does kale cause gas
Maybe. Kale is in the cruciferous vegetable family just like broccoli and cabbage. Vegetables in this family may be more likely to cause gas though it really varies person to person. Fun fact though, gas production is actually a positive thing for your health (though maybe not for those close to you smelling it). ;)
Does kale have calcium
We briefly touched on this, but yes it does. Once again, however, it isn’t particularly high in calcium. There’s some, but you should make sure to include other sources of calcium in your diet too and not just the leafy greens.
Does kale make you poop
Not exactly. Kale does have fiber which helps with regular bowel movements. It doesn’t have a ton, however, so it probably has a pretty negligible effect on your ability to poop. Fun fact though, if you eat a lot of dark green leafy vegetables they may make your poop have a darker green color. This is just due to the color pigment of green leafys and is a pretty neutral occurrence if it does happen.
Does kale have carbs
Yep! We touched on this a bit more in the “is kale keto” section. Kale, like all fruits and vegetables, contains carbohydates.
Does kale have potassium
Yes it does. As mentioned above, however, kale isn’t particularly high in potassium, but it is there.
Does kale have vitamin c
Yes it does! As mentioned above, kale is a great source of Vitamin C.
Does kale have vitamin k
We talked about this earlier too, and yes it does. Kale has a lot of Vitamin K, as do other dark green leafy vegetables.
Can kale survive frost
I guess we’re testing my gardening knowledge again… Kale is a pretty hardy vegetable that can withstand temperatures as low as *checks gardening website* 10 degrees Fahrenheit. So yes, kale can survive frost, and apparently kale tastes sweeter after a frost. Something to test out if you’re a gardener.
Can kale be frozen
Yes it can! You can actually just freeze kale as is, just remember that the texture won’t be the same when you thaw it. It is a nice way to save kale for smoothies or to throw into a soup though.
Can kale be eaten raw
Is this a trick question? Yes, kale absolutely can be eaten raw. You can eat it raw, sauteed, frozen, boiled, roasted, the list goes on and on. My personal favorites though are raw, frozen in a smoothie, added to a chili or soup, and roasted.
Can kale cause gas
We’ve already covered this, yes it can.
Can kale go bad
Absolutely! Just like any other fresh food, kale can spoil. If you aren’t sure when you’re going to get around to using your fresh kale just freeze it for later.
Can kale be cooked
Yes! We briefly discussed this when talking about if it can be eaten raw. Kale can absolutely be cooked in a variety of different ways. My personal favorites are adding it to a soup or stew, sauteeing it with some other veggies, and roasting it.
Can kale grow in winter
My guess, based on the fact that they can survive in colder temps is yes. I would imagine that in places where winters get really cold though (like Minnesota, where I live) kale wouldn’t grow well. So, it depends on how cold your winters get!
Can kale kill you
Well that escalated quickly… I mean, if you choked on it, sure. Or I guess if you had an allergy. Otherwise no, kale won’t kill you. Like every other food though, it’s best not to go overboard and eat tons of any one food. Moderation is best.
Can kale survive a freeze
Yes! As long as temps don’t dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Can kale make you sick
Uh, if you eat way too much of it maybe? Kale in and of itself shouldn’t make you sick, but if you eat a ton of anything it can make you feel queasy. There has been some concern lately of heavy metals in kale, but these fears have largely been overhyped. Basically, unless you eat copious amounts of kale, you’re going to be just fine. Eat your kale with confidence, just eat other foods too.
So there you have it, all the information you could ever want to know about kale. What other questions do you have for me about kale? What food do you want me to do a Google deep dive on next?