Why You Don't Need to Eat Kale to Be Healthy

Image Source:  Anna Monette Roberts

Dear Kale,

There are a few things we need to discuss about our relationship.  While I would like to say it's more about me than you, I do believe your fame as the "it" superfood of the moment (or the year, or the decade) might just have something to do with the rift in our relationship.  You are a bit overexposed right now.  You have made your way onto almost every menu, and every meal, including snacks — from juice to chips.  You are everywhere and you are always an option.  Could it be that I am bored of you?

But that isn't really my personal beef with you.  It's the chewing.  It takes me well over an hour to eat a salad with a leafy-green base of kale.  I simply get tired of chewing, and chewing, and chewing.  Often before I have finished my salad, I find myself putting the greens into the compost bin so they, being the nutritional powerhouses they are, can nourish other plants later.  Some might say this a great weight-loss technique, but although I am sick of eating said kale salad, I am not particularly sated physically or emotionally.  Yes, you can massage the kale to make it soft, but more often than not I find it served only slightly dressed.  And this presentation makes it all the more unappealing to me.

Kale, I know you have superfood status, and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, but there are a lot of other greens that contain more nutrients than you — I'm looking at you, romaine.  These other greens are ones I truly enjoy, like peppery watercress and colourful chard.  And while I was never at risk for overdosing on you, the concern of heavy metals in kale lingers (and provides a great excuse to skip it).

I am not going to turn my back on you completely, so it's not OVER over.  But I am going to keep my distance and keep my options open.

Sincerely,

One Healthy Eater Perusing the Salad Bar