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Kale vs. other greens

NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

How does Kale compare nutritionally to other greens like spinach? I have to admit I am not terribly crazy about the taste of kale. I think it is also upsetting my stomach. Are there any other greens I can substitute for kale?

Comments

  • humanimalhumanimal Raw Newbie

    I believe that spinach is just as good as kale. I’m not too fond of kale either. Its a little too bitter and strong for me, and plus it doesn’t digest too well. Also check out turnip and chard greens. They are other greens that are high in calcium.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    Thanks! My stomach is definitely not agreeing with all of the kale I ate tonight. Ugh…

    I did find some nutritional info on Whole Foods web site that might be of interest.

    http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/produc…

  • kale is one of the most delicious and nutritious domesticated green. most people i met in the states who knew what kale is didn’t really know the true taste of kale and were surprised to enjoy it when i introduced them to it.

    in a few words: ultra-fresh, young, and ideally grown cool and right below your nose..

    the ideal: you are in a field in oregon (or similar climate zone) .. in the winter after the farmer’s market season. there have been several frosts already (frost makes kale sweet and tender). and the kale has self-seeded into young bright leaves that are all over the place.. the farmer doesn’t pick these.. s/he is waiting for the end of winter to start growing “real things”. you gather a whole bag full while eating them yourselves.. and put these in the fridge as soon as you get home (with a dash of water into the bag to keep the fresh) to enjoy them for the next 3-4 days. you’ll notice how kale gets bitter with every minute that passes since it was picked. the plant basically gives you an encouragement to get over your addiction to office-jobs and jobs in general and return to peasant life.. as a raw peasant you’ll discover that self-sufficiency is a rather easy and achievable goal!

    when kale is grown and picked right.. it is not bitter at all – it is sweet – i swear.

    so what can a regular earth-citizen do?

    - grow your own – if you’re in a hot area – plant in shade – lacinato and red russian kale and siberian are doing very well here in hot palestine and it is june already! pick fresh leaves that look best right before making the salad. (the garden is the best refrigerator) - buy organic at farmers’ market – buy best looking ones – taste before you buy – ask them to pick it for you the same day – and ask them to get you a bunch from the cooler in the back – not the ones dying on display.. - if buying in a store – again – taste it before you buy it – if it is too bitter then buy something else.. - if you’re in the warm season and the kale tastes bitter (like california kale usually sucks!) – don’t insist on buying kale.. there are plenty of greens – especially wild edible greens grown all over the world – and they are superior in flavor and nutrition to any domesticated plant. kale comes from mustard – the mustard family is huge and has representatives globally. - if you think you don’t have time to garden – here’s what to do – find a small patch of dirt near where you live or in your yard.. mark it somehow and clear it a little to create a little disturbance (most edible weeds are pioneer weeds in disturbed but not ruined soils) if it doesn’t rain where you are then water it with a sprinkler or hose at the end of each day. that’s it. most of what will grow is edible nutritious superfoods that don’t cost a dime. and hey if you save all that money you might not need to work so hard and have time to plant a few kale seeds!

    here’s to kale. most of my garden is kale. KALE THEM ALL.

  • Hi ofek! I love your tribute to Kale! I bought some and barely any got eaten for one reason or another. What you have said is so inspiring. I SHOULD just GROW MY OWN! Kale is so good to eat nutritionally – it’s a superfood! Do you recommend a way to eat it or a dressing for it? You sound like the King of Kale…=) I hope it’s not to late to grow some.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I eat kale maybe 2 or 3 times a day. I love love love it.

    I have a big plateful with 3 tomatoes, an avocado, lots of cayenne pepper, olive oil and salt and all massaged together with my hands, it is the most delicious food I have ever eaten. And I have been eating it like this every day for about a year now, nothing else compares! That recipe is adapted from Chad Srno’s. Everyone who tries it including SADdos loves it and asks for more!

  • Hi Zoe! That sounds like a neat recipe. Are you saying that you mush the tomato, or chop it? Does the salad mush together like a pattie? If you have a picture and could submit the recipe that would be great or just explain a little more. My boyfriend might eat this! Thanks!

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    I have been growing my own kale in the gargen and it is so wondeful and tasty, not bitter, as Ofek said. I live in the mountains, so even in June, we got some nice frost, which left the kale so sweet and lovely! On another note, I was wondering if any of you have grown your own broccoli? I did, and did you know that all those little green tops turn into beautiful yellow flowers? Further, that if you let them flower, and eat the stocks, it is wonderfully sweet?! My family and I have been enjoying going out to the garden and munching…if you haven’t tried it, you should!

  • I’ve found that one of the best ways to eat kale is by massaging it first, with a little bit of olive oil, lemon or lime, honey or agave and bragg’s or a little bit of salt. I put one ingredient in at a time… and go at it – really getting my hands in the kale, breaking it up into smaller pieces and squeezing and kneading it together.

    Sometimes kale intimidates me because I look at it and see a lot of CHEWING!!! but when I massage it, it seems to be easier to digest and I also feel like I can eat more of it – like a whole head in a sitting.

    So massage, massage, massage!!!

    I’ve also shared my massaged kale with a bunch of different friends and they all love it.

  • NuttgirlNuttgirl Raw Newbie

    I think I much prefer spinach. Kale is just too hard on my stomach. I actually used the recipe from this web site: http://therawchef.blogs.com/russell_james/2006/... Even with the kale cut in small pieces and massaged it still was too much for my system.

  • try adding it to your fruit smoothies, sounds bad but you won’t notice it, the blender will break the cell walls so you can digest it easily, and get all the nutrients.

  • I’ve noticed that lots of folks are saying kale is really hard on their stomaches…I have no problem digesting kale (entire heads at a time!) as long as the other foods I’m eating with it are properly combined. (ie, if I want to add germinated seeds or nuts I’ll leave out the avocado I usually add, I won’t mix large amounts of starcy veggies with seeds or nuts, etc). If you Google food combining, there are a lot of great charts/references about general things you should not mix.

    This can make a HUGE difference! I once had a kale salad with avocado, sunflower seeds, corn, carrots and a few other things and was felt unbelievably sick afterwards. I’d say watch what you add to the salad and see if that helps.

    Also, I second the green smoothie suggestion. They’re a great way to get all of your greens, and according to Victoria Boutenko, the chlorophyll in green smoothies will improve your digestion (stomach acids and such) over time!

    There are also other softer greens (red & green chard, etc) that seem to be just as rich in nutrients, based on their dark leafy-ness.

  • ZoeZoe Raw Newbie

    I eat kale with avocados every day and have done for the last year with no ill effects, quite the opposite. I never even consider food combining, I just eat what I want as long as it is really truly raw and I have not had any problems, I guess it is down to what suits you as an individual.

  • I LOVE LOVE LOVE kale! I eat it every day too. My kale salads are my favorite thing to eat and I crave them. Very similar to Zoe, I usually make it with avocado, finely chopped ginger, chopped red bell pepper (or sometimes a tomato), olive oil, salt and pepper, and mix it up real good until the avo gets really nice and creamy and becomes a dressing. I usually eat this salad every day. I just started growing it in the garden too. I’ve never had an upset stomach from kale. In fact I don’t think I could live without it.

  • I try to chop kale fine and sneak it into everything, A day without Kale, well not a very good day at all…My friends and mentors were always eating Huge kale salads every day so I stated eating it immediately. Now I know food combining wise not a good suggestion, however my favorite kale salad is half kale/half baby green chopped fine, light vinegrete of 3 parts flax oil, 1 part lemon(or apple cider vineger) alittle sea salt, and Raisins, to add a touch of sweet. I could eat this everyday!

  • Yum and thanks to all for their fabulous recipes and love for greens (for me, ESPECIALLY kale, but there are so many other beautiful greens out there for those who cannot enjoy it, including the ones I know are the best—foraged for free!!). In addition to Ofek’s excellent comments, here’s more great info on foraging greens from Carmella at Sunny Raw Kitchen (for anyone that hasn’t seen it yet): http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/2007/06/... .

  • Do you remove the stems from your kale or blend them in with your smoothies. I noticed that the taste is 100% better without the stems but I do not want to lose any nutrition by not using the stems.

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