Fortunately, adding kale to your diet is relatively simple. You can simply add it to your salads or use it in recipes.

A popular snack is kale chips , where you drizzle some extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil on your kale, sprinkle it with salt, and then bake in it an oven until dry. At the end of the day, kale can definitely be a healthy and nutritious addition to a balanced diet and can be enjoyed in a variety of recipes.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. From vegetable-based ideas to berry-packed varieties, try these tasty, simple smoothie recipes to up your intake of vitamins and antioxidants.

Think you know kale? These recipes turn the tried and tested salad green on its head. Whole foods are the best sources of nutrients. Here are 8 healthy foods that contain higher amounts of certain nutrients than multivitamins. Vitamin K plays a vital role in blood clotting, as well as bone and heart health.

This article lists 20 foods that are exceptionally high in vitamin K. Vegetables are a very important food group on a low-carb diet.

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New research suggests that eating a strict vegan or ketogenic diet can have a rapid positive effect on your immune system. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Nutrition Evidence Based 9 Health Benefits of Kale. Medically reviewed by Amy Richter, RD , Nutrition — By Kris Gunnars, BSc — Updated on January 5, Highly nutritious. Provides powerful antioxidants.

Excellent source of vitamin C. May lower cholesterol levels. Excellent source of vitamin K. Contains anti-cancer compounds. High in beta-carotene. Could support eye health. May promote weight loss. It got started when a self-described vitality researcher in California publicized claims that kale soaks up toxic levels of lead, arsenic, and thallium from soil as it grows, reportedly leading to problems with cognition and other functions for people who eat kale regularly.

Though some soil does contain trace amounts of heavy metals and other substances that could be harmful to humans in high amounts, the claims about kale toxicity have never been published in a peer-reviewed journal and are not considered scientifically valid.

Just for reference, one study in the Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science found that a typical adult could chow down on pounds of kale daily and still be under the safe limit of lead exposure set by the World Health Organization. Just one caveat: If you are on a blood-thinning medication, check with your doctor before changing your kale intake.

But nutrition is not a contest, and a healthy diet includes a variety of plant-based foods. Both kale and spinach are low in calories, provide antioxidant benefits, and deliver a unique mix of nutrients. Spinach is slightly higher in magnesium, iron, and folate, which are important for circulation, muscle function, and cognition.

Meanwhile, kale delivers much more vitamin C and is a touch higher in calcium and protein. From spinach and kale to arugula and chard , they all support good health in their own wonderful ways. Like other leafy greens, kale is low in calories for its volume 25 calories per 2-cup serving.

So, yes: Eating more fruits and vegetables can indeed help with weight management. MYTH: The best way to boost your kale intake is through juices. Just know that from a nutritional standpoint, sipping juice isn't quite the same as adding kale to your diet.

Related: Should you try a juice cleanse? Grabbing a commercially bottled kale drink on the go? FACT: Proponents of raw food diets would have you believe that basically all uncooked foods are superior to their cooked versions.

This eating style has surged in popularity over the past few years, thanks in part to social media influencers waxing poetic over pretty pics of raw, rainbow-color fruits and veggies. For starters, cooked kale is plenty nutritious, retaining its fiber, beta-carotene , and protein.

Moreover, eating foods you actually enjoy is important. If you prefer your kale sautéed in a stir-fry vs.

shredded raw into a salad, so be it. Iodine contributes to healthy thyroid function, and a deficiency may lead to hypothyroidism. There are no set guidelines on how much kale to eat with these conditions. Eating small amounts should be okay.

Still, talk to your doctor before adding more kale to your diet if you have any of the above health conditions. Looking for interesting ways to prepare kale? You can sauté it in oil, garlic , or butter, or add a handful to soups, salads, and smoothies — or try these 10 creative ideas for when kale is on the menu , including BBQ Salmon and Kale Tacos and Kale Pesto Naan Pizza.

Hearty Chicken Soup With Fiber-Rich Kale is also delicious. Rotating your greens is a perfect way to add variety to your plate. You can prepare it differently each time and never get bored. Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy.

We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

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Defining Kale: What Exactly Is This Green, Leafy Veggie? Everyday Health staff nutritionist Kelly Kennedy, RDN, shows you how to chop and simply dress this nutritious leafy green. Next up video playing in 10 seconds. Other nutritional facts for kale include: 3 5 g of fiber 18 percent daily value [DV] 3 g of protein 6 percent DV retinol activity equivalents RAE of vitamin A 19 percent DV 21 milligrams mg of vitamin C 23 percent DV micrograms mcg of vitamin K percent DV mg of calcium 14 percent DV 30 mg of magnesium 7 percent DV mg of potassium 4 percent DV.

Here are a few ways that kale can help improve your overall well-being. Helps Prevent Cancer Kale contains cancer-fighting carotenoids, which are antioxidants that protect cell DNA from damage caused by free radicals.

Vitamin A Both veggies are great sources of vitamin A, with kale providing RAE per cooked cup. For example: 13 Curly Kale This is the most common type of kale, and you can recognize it by its curly or ruffled edges. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking.

Resources Kale and Collards. Houghton Mifflin. Vegetables of Canada. NRC Research Press. Kale, Cooked, Boiled, Drained, Without Salt. Department of Agriculture.

Grabbing a commercially bottled kale drink on the go? FACT: Proponents of raw food diets would have you believe that basically all uncooked foods are superior to their cooked versions. This eating style has surged in popularity over the past few years, thanks in part to social media influencers waxing poetic over pretty pics of raw, rainbow-color fruits and veggies.

For starters, cooked kale is plenty nutritious, retaining its fiber, beta-carotene , and protein. Moreover, eating foods you actually enjoy is important.

If you prefer your kale sautéed in a stir-fry vs. shredded raw into a salad, so be it. Check out these 21 raw and cooked kale recipes for some delicious inspo. In general, the immense benefits of consuming plants in any form—cooked or raw—outweigh the relatively minor nutrition penalties of cooking.

Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian RD and certified dietitian nutritionist CDN , and holds a bachelor of arts degree from Northwestern University and a master of science degree in clinical nutrition from New York University. Nicole Saporita is a senior content manager for consumer wellness at WW.

Her work has appeared in Good Housekeeping , Prevention , and REDBOOK magazines. This article was reviewed for accuracy in July by Tiffany Bullard, PhD, manager for clinical research at WW.

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Food facts. From juicing to weight loss, a registered dietitian sets the record straight on this popular leafy green. By Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN and Nicole Saporita. Published August 19, MYTH: The kale trend is total hype. For a low-calorie lunch, make vegetable soup with low-sodium chicken broth, tomato paste, onions, carrots, celery, chicken breast and kale.

Kale can help you lose weight if you eat it and dishes with kale instead of higher-calorie options. Instead of potato chips or another fried, crunchy snack, try kale chips baked with garlic and black pepper.

For a low-calorie side dish, eat kale cooked with mushrooms, garlic, red wine vinegar, diced onion and sliced mushrooms instead of higher-calorie choices, such as buttered vegetables or mashed potatoes and gravy.

Add kale to soups, stews and spaghetti sauce to make them more satisfying, but not much higher in calories, so that you eat smaller portions of higher-calorie foods. Each cup of raw kale contains 2. Dietary fiber is a nutrient that helps reduce hunger and aids in weight control.

Protein is another filling nutrient, according to Harvard University, and a cup of kale contains only 3 grams, or 6 percent of the daily value.

Some high-fiber, high-protein dishes with kale are stewed chicken with kale, tomatoes and Italian seasoning, and a salad with cooked kale, kidney and garbanzo beans, cumin and garlic.

Choosing nutrient-dense foods, such as kale, is particularly important when you are on a weight-loss diet and are restricting your food intake.

Each cup of raw kale provides 80 milligrams of vitamin C, or percent of the daily value; 6, international units of vitamin A, or percent of the daily value; and micrograms of vitamin K, or percent of the daily value. It is also a source of calcium, which supports strong bones; potassium, which can help lower blood pressure; and iron, which is a component of healthy red blood cells.

Weight Management Weight Loss Food and Weight Loss. Is Kale Good for Weight Loss? By Natalie Stein. A bowl filled with kale leaves. Calorie Control.