Types of kale chart

Red kale is often considered the sweetest kale, which makes it perfect for eating raw. Use it in juices, smoothies, and salads-just massage and soften the leaves with your hands to break down the fiber and make it easier for digestion, says Torchia.

‘Lacinato’ kale is the best-tasting cooked variety. Kale is known for its ability to withstand winter weather. ‘Vates’ is one of the most winter-hardy kales you can grow. Kale is a standout source of calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, the B vitamin folic acid, and beta carotene.

Tuscan Kale aka Lacinato Kale aka Dinosaur Kale

This is the kale we love to cook—and not cook—the most. It has a deeper color and is slightly thinner and more tender than curly kale, making it more versatile—it cooks more quickly and requires less massaging for use in raw preparations.

The Bottom Line. Kale and spinach are highly nutritious and and associated with several benefits. While kale offers more than twice the amount of vitamin C as spinach, spinach provides more folate and vitamins A and K. Both are linked to improved heart health, increased weight loss, and protection against disease.

Tuscan kale goes by many names. Among them are dinosaur kale, cavolo nero, and black kale. This kale has longer spear-like leaves with a pebbled appearance and a dark, mottled green color. Its flavor is deep and earthy — it’s less bitter than curly leafed, with an almost-nutty sweetness.

The colored varieties — sometimes called salad Savoy — are most often grown for ornamental purposes, but they’re edible. You’ve probably heard (for some, ad nauseam) that kale is a superfood. But “besides its good looks, flavor, and benefits to garden ecology, kale is good food,” DeJohn says.

Purple kale.

Slightly sweeter than curly or Tuscan kale, purple kale adds color to any dish and handles cooked and raw preparations with ease.

That’s because crushing the leaves breaks down the cell walls of two important chemicals naturally present in kale—the myrosinase enzyme and glucosinolates. When those walls deteriorate, the two chemicals interact and create a new, bitter compound that’s biologically designed to fend off hungry enemies.

See, much like raw broccoli or sweet potato, raw kale can be bitter and too chewy. Heat (and massaging) tenderises the kale’s tough fibres and reduces bitterness, and when sautéed with flavourful ingredients, the kale takes on the delicious flavours.

It’s often eaten raw in salads and smoothies but can also be enjoyed steamed, sautéed, boiled, or baked. Along with broccoli and Brussels sprouts, kale is a cruciferous vegetable that offers an array of potential health benefits.

Kale is a dark, leafy green you can eat raw or cooked. This superfood has been on dinner plates since Roman times and has long been common across much of Europe. The vegetable hails from the cabbage family, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower, and collards.

Kale is in the cruciferous vegetable family. Some can develop an allergy to cruciferous vegetables. Kale can also cause bloating in people who have difficulty digesting FODMAPs. You may also experience gastrointestinal distress from cruciferous vegetables if you have a C.

While we enjoy the occasional raw collard or kale salad, you should never eat the stems raw. Otherwise, the exteriors will burn before the stems have cooked through, making them both bitter and too tough to chew.

Using Kale

Kale leaves have thick fibrous stems. They stems are edible, so leave them in if you enjoy crunchy foods. Or you can take them out, if you are not used to eating lots of fiber, or if you want to make a more delicate dish. To strip out the stems, grasp a kale leaf with one hand by the stem.

If you‘re using big leafy greens such as kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens in your smoothie, you can either cut away the large stems or add them to your smoothie. The larger stems contain added minerals and chlorophyll, but they have a really bitter taste.

Kale is a warrior that fights against heart disease, cancer, inflammation and toxins. To make the most of all it has to offer, chow down on 1 1/2 cups a few times a week. At 33 calories a cup, that is a really strong nutritional investment.

Many healthy greens like spinach and kale are high in potassium and difficult to fit into a renal diet. However, arugula is a nutrient-dense green that is low in potassium, making it a good choice for kidney-friendly salads and side dishes.

Leafy Greens

Free radicals are molecules that can damage your cells and cause problems, including liver disease. Substances called antioxidants can help get rid of them. Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collards are loaded with antioxidants. They’re also packed with fiber, and other things your liver needs.

“Cancer studies seem to show that raw kale is more beneficial than cooked, while cholesterol studies seem to show that steamed kale is more beneficial than raw,” says Harris, who recommends a bit of both in your diet. But whatever you do, don’t boil, saute or stir-fry the veggie too long or with too much added liquid.