Just what is a superfood? Normally I would turn to Wikipedia for an answer, but in matters where nutrition collides with hype, I prefer the peer-reviewed route. A (relatively) recent article in Nutrition Bulletin notes that the label superfood has no set definition, and although the term was first applied to "functional" foods it currently is used to describe fruits and vegetables with a high amount of phytochemicals.* (functional food = health promoting/disease preventing, increasingly applied to foods with associated health claims) Currently the FDA regulates health claims made about a particular food and has not yet passed regulations about the use of superfood as an adjective.With that in mind, I present kale. Researchers in Poland tested how well kale (which surprisingly is a good source of protein) retained protein after cooking. They found that more than 75% of protein is retained.** Another research group found that of raw cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and kale, kale contained the highest level of antioxidants. They noted that extensive cooking (longer than 3 minutes) in water drastically reduced the levels of antioxidants, especially in kale.*** THM: sauté away!
Kale is a good source of protein and a good source of antioxidants as long as you don't boil it to death. Plus it meets that "eat more leafy green veggies" mantra that I need to follow!
So for week 1 of the run-bike-swim-cook challenge, let's take Kale, superfood extraordinaire (!), and incorporate it into breakfast. Yum!
Email entries to spackysgirl AT hotmail DOT com by Feb. 9th.
References:
* J. Lunn (2006). Superfoods. Nutrition Bulletin 31 (3),171–172.
**Z. Lisiewska, W. Kmiecika and A. Korus (2008). The amino acid composition of kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala), fresh and after culinary and technological processing. Food Chem 108(2):642-648.
***E. Sikora, E. Cieślika, T. Leszczyńskaa, A. Filipiak-Florkiewicza and P. M. Pisulewski (2008). The antioxidant activity of selected cruciferous vegetables subjected to aquathermal processing. Food Chem 107(1):55-59.
11 comments:
So let me get this straight . One entry of the superfood per week sent to the weeks hosts, and posted on the blog. Or do you want one for each day of the week?
One per week. That's plenty.
It looks like great fun! I'm leaving for Paris this week but I'll give it a try in a couple of weeks. ;)
Suzana--ucky you! Be sure to eat lots of yummy bread for all of us.
Oh my gosh...I heart Kale! No really. I SO have a recipe- I can play right?
I sent you a email and posted. Was fun. Cant wait for week 2.
Suzana--my "l" finger seems to be broken! That should read LUCKY you, NOT ucky you (soooo mortified!!!!). Have fun.
Tempered woman--we love people who want to play. Please join in!
Glamah16--you are so on top of things! I'm still looking at the kale in my fridge and scratching my head wondering how to do my own challenge.
Oh, I love kale. I absolutely cannot get enough of it. I know I am probably destroying some of the super-duper-nutrients when I prepare it but here is how we make kale:
Chop up lots and lots of garlic. Sautee in a very generous amount of olive oil until it starts to turn golden brown. Add chopped/torn kale and sautee for 10 minutes. Once the bottom of our stainless steel pot turns all brown/black, we know it's done. Sprinkle with lime (or lemon) juice and sea salt. mmmmm!
I had never eaten kale until I started a CSA 2 years ago. Once we found a good way to fix it, we were hooked. Definitely something I will plant next year.
Yum! I'll try that with 1/2 of what's sitting in my fridge. :)
I like to add it to fruit smoothies. For the smoothie, I blend together berries, oranges, bananas, water or almond milk, a little honey, and the kale. Delicious and oh so nutritious!
My 2 year old loves kale and it thrills me to death. Thanks for the reminder about not over cooking it.
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