By SARMAD SHERAZ
Staff Writer
Kale: the Kim Kardashian of superfoods. Totally overrated and undeserving of the recognition and popularity it gets today. A dark green, leafy menace, you can find kale almost at any supermarket. It seems to be as popular as bread here in the U.S.
Although kale is still quite nutritious, its recent spike in popularity seems to exaggerate its nutritional content. In reality, kale is not the most nutritious superfood out there.
Kale is still quite a nutritious and healthy superfood to eat and it certainly is good for you, and your body. Yet, kale is not the most nutritious superfood out there, as there are other superfoods out there that are more nutritious than kale.
When compared to iceberg lettuce, there are some surprising nutritional facts about kale that people should know.
Kale also contains more sodium and more fat than lettuce does. 100 grams of raw kale contains 43 mg of sodium, while 100 grams of raw iceberg lettuce only contains 8 mg of sodium. According to SkipThePie.org, the raw kale also contains a total of 0.7g of fat, in which 0.091g are saturated fats (bad fats) while the raw iceberg lettuce contained a total of only 0.14g of fat with only 0.039 g as saturated fats. This shows kale has more bad fat than lettuce does.
Lettuce is not the only other superfood that has more health benefits than kale. Spinach leaves contain powerful appetite suppressants, reducing cravings and assisting in weight loss. In addition, 180 grams of boiled spinach provides 6.43 g of muscle-building iron, which, according to Eat This Not That, is more iron than what a 6 oz. beef patty contains.
Kale was ranked in bembu’s “list of 20 healthiest foods on earth.” At the top spot was spinach, and second came goji berries. Sweet potatoes, avocados, broccoli, beets, and tomatoes all came above kale on the list, proving that kale is not at the top of all superfoods, like what popular grocery stores and juice joints want you to believe.
There is also a darker side to kale that does not make as many headlines since many want you to think that kale is can do no wrong. Too much kale can be bad for you.
According to DailyMail, too much raw kale can interfere with thyroid function and cause problems such as hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid. The article then explains how other superfoods may also cause certain problems. For example, chia seeds can stop the absorption of minerals and should be avoided.
The article also explains how some foods are labeled as “superfoods” and make the general public hop aboard the bandwagon and follow the trend everyone else is following, such as the trend of kale. Celebrities usually hop on too, causing more people to believe in the trend and hop on with them without knowing the side effects.
Why do people follow these trends? Celebrities, and the fact that if others are doing something, everyone else wants to follow in their footsteps. An overrated trend starts, and everyone wants to follow it.
Kale began as a normal superfood and became a very overhyped superfood, when eaten too often can scientifically cause hormone problems; kale has now become overrated and should not be as hyped as it is today by celebrities and nutritionists, alike.