bruh get yourself a steamer it breaks down the kale niceley and makes it easier to season.... I got a bamboo steamer for under thirty bucks and it adds a whole new dynamic to the taste of your veggies..
but I dont care what they say... you can never go wrong with kale when you want to relieve your body of garbage and fill it with treasures...
As for the healthiest method for cooking kale, the research is mixed.
“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.
“When you cook it all the way down or with extra water or broth, you’re losing a lot of the nutrients and enzymes in the actual green,” Ginn says. “If you do, the key is to make sure you enjoy the leftover kale broth, too, because it has a lot of the antioxidants, nutrients and benefits that leak out and will be lost otherwise.”
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Raw kale in particular “can be hard on the digestive system” — meaning it can cause bloating, gas and other abdominal issues — “and also contains a compound that can suppress thyroid function in certain people,” she adds. That’s why she doesn’t recommend eating the vegetable uncooked or juicing it more than once or twice a week, though she says you can eat as much of the cooked veggie as you like.
I've always eaten it raw for fear of losing nutrients but I have been spending far, far too much time in the hallways at work expelling my gas lately... (And I mean lethal gas that Bashar al-Assad wouldn't even unleash on the public...) I didn't know there was an upside to steaming it.
Apparently that's true for several foods. I was for sure that raw broccoli is better nutritionally than steamed. And, on the convenience front, the idea that canned tomatoes could be better than raw would be a game changer:
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage have advantages when cooked, and disadvantages when raw.
Raw cruciferous vegetables have also been known to cause digestive problems for some people.
"You can eat these veggies raw, but to curtail the digestive issues that may arise, try them in small quantities, chew them well, and if your system is not used to them, don't eat them all together at one sitting," Taub-Dix told INSIDER. "You'll have an easier time moving them through your system if they are cooked vs. eating them raw."
Cooked carrots release an antioxidant helps with overall immune function.
Steaming carrots can help them release carotenoids, an antioxidant that helps with overall immune function, according to Berkeley Wellness. So, if you like to snack on raw carrots, try for some variety by lightly steaming them.
Cooking bell peppers allows you to absorb more of their vitamins.
Peppers are another great source of lycopene and ferulic acid — and, obviously, you'll benefit from those nutrients however you choose to eat them. But roasting or stir-frying bell peppers every now and then can help you absorb more of their vitamins, as long as you don't overdo the heat.
"Because vitamin C is easily destroyed by heat, bell peppers that are cooked until they're tender-crisp will generally retain more of the nutrients than those that are cooked longer," Taub-Dix told INSIDER. "You'll absorb more vitamin A from bell peppers lightly sauteed in olive oil than you would from the raw vegetable."
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Tomatoes release a cancer-fighting antioxidant when cooked.
You also don't have to cook the tomatoes yourself to reap their benefits.
"When you use canned tomatoes you might absorb more lycopene than when eating them fresh," Taub-Dix told INSIDER. "In addition, it has been said that when you add a bit of oil ([like] add[ing] some olive oil to your tomato sauce) you enhance the absorption of lycopene even further."
Vegetables can be healthy prepared and obtained in many different ways. But there are some that can be better when cooked for health reasons.
www.insider.com
