117: Longevity Kitchen: Kale Edition with Liz Weiss

Welcome, Health Warriors! Today’s episode is dedicated to one of my favorite anti-aging ingredients: kale. Not to be forgotten are some other leafy greens that are good for us, like collards and bok choy. We will talk about the health benefits of kale, the different varieties available at the supermarket, all about kale chips, and a new recipe for Kale and Pine Nut Pesto that I created specifically for this show. Kale has been the “veggie of the moment” for a while now, and it’s super nutritious and versatile. It can be added to soups, salads, and smoothies. Join me for a closer look at this superfood!

Show Highlights:

• A little info about kale, a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, arugula, bok choy, radishes, turnips, watercress, and wasabi
• The types of kale:
• • Curly kale can be added to salads, soups, and smoothies.
  • Dinosaur or Tuscan kale, Italian kale also called Lacinato kale, is distinguished by long, slender, blue-green leaves that are not curly but puckered like savoy cabbage.
  • Red Russian or Ragged Jack kale is an heirloom kale that looks like overgrown oak leaves and ranges in color from blue-green to purple-red; it has a sweeter flavor. 
  • Baby kale is the term for the young, immature leaves of the kale plant that are great for any use. 
• Superfood nutrition and antioxidants in kale: Kale is packed with vitamin K, C, beta carotene, calcium, folate, and fiber.
• Kale is packed with antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C, flavonoids, and polyphenols, which help to slow the aging process and help reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, and neurodegenerative disorders.
• How kale is one of the best sources of compounds that help protect our eyes against damage and degenerative diseases
• Facts: only one in ten people in the US eats the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day!
• Why we shouldn’t pay too much attention to the recent Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen List of produce items with dangerous levels of pesticide residue (You would have to eat over 18,000 servings of kale daily to put your body at risk!)
• Ideas to add more kale to your everyday diet for dinner, breakfast, sides, and salads
• My favorite smoothie recipe includes orange juice, baby kale, Greek yogurt, fresh mint leaves, English cucumber, mango chunks, banana, and honey.
• The scoop on kale chips and my best tips for getting them not to be soggy
• My recipe for Kale and Pine Nut Pesto: baby kale leaves, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, mint leaves, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper
• Check out the Recipe Roundup on the blog with recipes for Wild Rice and Kale Salad; Kale and Sausage Gnocchi Bake; Creamy Chicken, Kale, and Rice Mushroom Soup;  and Caesar Salad with Kale and Chicken

Resources:

Helpful links mentioned in this episode:

Cruciferous vegetables and cancer:      https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cruciferous-vegetables-fact-sheet#what-are-cruciferous-vegetables

 Don't be afraid of the Dirty Dozen: https://fruitsandveggies.org/expert-advice/should-i-be-afraid-of-the-dirty-dozen/

Safe Produce Calculator: https://www.safefruitsandveggies.com/calculate/

Liz’s Links: 

My website: www.lizshealthytable.com  

My email: liz@lizshealthytable.com