Keeping Your Colon Healthy With Kale
Find out how Kale is the best readily available source of nutrient lutein
No vegetable is more valuable to colon health than kale, the best food source of
lutein. Lutein protects against colon cancer in both men and women. If you develop
colon cancer, the more lutein you consume, the more likely the tumor is to be located
where the surgeon can remove it without removing a long section of your colon. If
you smoke, lutein is even more important for your colon health than if you don’t.
A single serving of kale provides 15,625 micrograms of lutein, more than you will
get from any lutein supplement, and nearly twice as much as the second best food
for lutein, turnip greens.
Kale is rich in antioxidants, but many people don’t eat it because it is bitter.
Most bitter greens are more palatable in the late fall and winter, because they
are sweetened by frost. Here is an example examples of “just enough” fat and salt
to make this antioxidant-rich vegetable completely palatable.
Minestrone You Can Eat with a Fork
1 cup (150 g) dried cannelloni or navy beans soaked in water at least 4 hours (preferably
overnight)
1 onion, finely diced
2 leeks, with green parts removed
1 bunch black
kale (cavolo nero), the stems removed and the leaves cut into strips
1 small Savoy
cabbage, cored, quartered, and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of chopped
fresh parsley, or, if you don’t have fresh parsley, 1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tablespoons
olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1. Drain the soaked beans, then put them into a pot. Cover with cold water. Bring
to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 90 minutes.
2. While the beans are simmering, chop all the vegetables. Be sure not to dry them.
3. Heat a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, then add the olive oil. Sauté
onion and leeks until the onion is translucent but not brown. Add the other vegetables
and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt. Lower the heat and cook the vegetables until soft,
about half an hour.
4. When the beans are tender, add them along with 1 cup of their
cooking liquid to the vegetables. Simmer until heated through. Serve with garlic
toast, or as a side dish to roast chicken.
Written by: Robert Rister
Posted: July 31, 2009