Is Kale The Best Super Green?

Believe it or not, kale is one of the healthiest and most nutrient-dense super greens on the planet. A member of the cabbage family, kale is a cruciferous vegetable that comes in many different varieties. According to Healthline, the most common type of kale is known as curly kale, or Scots kale, which has green, curly leaves. As a super green, kale is packed full vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients.

A single serving of kale contains 206% of the recommended daily value for vitamin A, 134% of the daily value for vitamin C, and 684% of the daily value for vitamin K. Kale is also high in powerful antioxidants that can help protect your eyes, reduce inflammation, improve the quality of your skin, and lower your risk of disease (via Everyday Health). In addition, it may even help promote weight loss. As a result, eating kale is a great way to improve your overall health and add more nutrients to your diet. Healthline suggests you can incorporate kale into your everyday diet by adding it to salads, steaming or sautéeing it in oil and garlic, or by making kale chips, which you can do by drizzling olive oil and salt on kale leaves and baking them until they're dry and crispy.

Kale isn't the only super green out there, however. As a matter of fact, kale has a few noteworthy contenders. For instance, Swiss chard, collard greens, and mustard greens are all highly nutritious super greens (via U.S. News & World Report). While kale is typically higher in vitamins A and C than other super greens, Swiss chard has 16% more iron than kale, while collard greens contain 18% more calcium than kale and twice the amount of protein.

Mustard greens, on the other hand, contain slightly more protein and calcium than kale. They're also packed full of vitamins A, C, and K (via Greatist). All four super greens are rich in folate, magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, and vitamins E and K, among others (via U.S. News & World Report). Swiss chard, collard greens, and mustard greens also have many of the same health benefits as kale. For instance, they're all loaded with antioxidants, meaning they can help lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of age-related eye diseases, and decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer.