By Emily McLaughlin

…This is the letter I have waited for…

K is for KALE!

I am absolutely obsessed with kale. I was introduced to the leafy green last summer and it has been a staple in my diet ever since. Kale is a vegetable that I alternate with spinach in my weekly food consumption. Kale and spinach have similar nutritional content that you can compare in the two charts below (compliments of WholeFoods.org):

Kale is a standout in a few other areas of overall wellness. Firstly, it is full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. The veggie is also full of micronutrients which our bodies can not produce themselves. These micronutrients are essential for orchestrating a whole range of physiological functions (these nutrients include copper, iron, cobalt, zinc, etc). Lastly, kale has a significant amount of cancer-preventive nutrients called glucosinolates.

The best benefit…?! KALE IS EXTREMELY INEXPENSIVE. If you head on down to your local grocer or farmer’s market, you can get kale for ~$0.99/pound! This is cheap, people, real cheap. Once you make your big buy, look for some great recipes that incorporate the leafy green. My favorite things to do with kale include: Adding it to a soup, steaming it to top with a light dressing, crisping it up and making some kale chips or incorporating it into a pasta dish.

Find some great recipes on FoodGawker or SkinnyTaste!