For those people who are health conscious and are watching what they eat, the nutrition value of their foods is very important. As I’ve already mentioned, there are several good health benefits of kale. They make the process of growing kale at home a very worthwhile endeavor. Kale nutrition is very high, and so it is extremely good for you! I hope you find these kale nutrition facts helpful!
Kale has very high amounts of antioxidants such as carotenoids and flavonoids. Antioxidants are good for your body because they prevent the buildup of free radicals. Free radicals can form by several different means and mechanisms, and if not removed, they can cause oxidative damage to cells and tissue. These antioxidants stop the free radicals from doing this damage to our bodies. One such carotenoid is called lutein. Lutein is found in vegetables such as kale and other leafy green vegetables, and plays a role in eye health, in that it helps protect the retina from damage from certain wavelengths of light. Similarly, zeaxathin is another carotenoid that is abundant in leafy green vegetables, and also acts to protect the retina (specifically, in the central macula area).
Kale also has very high levels of vitamins, specifically vitamin K, vitamin C, and vitamin A. These vitamins have various roles in our bodies, ranging from strengthening our immune system to keeping our cardiovascular systems healthy. In addition to these vitamins, kale is also fairly high in calcium content. Calcium is well-known to have a role in maintaining strength in our bones and teeth, and also is a very important factor in the molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction and nerve conduction.
Beyond antioxidants and vitamins, kale also has many other beneficial nutritious compounds. Sulforaphane is one such compound, and it has been implicated in anti-mycrobial effects as well as anticancer effects. This cancer-fighting activity is thought to be a result of sulforaphane activating certain enzyme activity and tumor suppressor proteins, which assist in regulating the cell cycle of normal cells (and which itself is deregulated in cancer cells, which causes the abnormal cell growth).
