Wellness Wednesday Tip #30: Try Adding Kale to Your Day!

     Welcome back folks! Happy Wellfie Wednesday! This week I wanted to continue with the trend of the last couple weekly tips, that being to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, but I wanted to also narrow it down some. So let’s go with a vegetable, something green, and something versatile that can be eaten a couple of different ways, any thoughts?

     I’m choosing KALE! Now you must be thinking, I could have come up with any number of other green vegetables, something that surely tastes better. I too once thought that kale was a bit too much to get involved with and bland at that, but it’s an item usually always in my fridge.

     Kale, in my opinion, is one of those vegetables you really get a bang for your buck; relatively inexpensive and provides a great source of Vitamin A, C, K, B6, manganese, copper, and even some calcium, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids.

     We’ve knocked out health benefits, so now how can you easily include kale in your day. Well, picked for its versatility, kale can be added to any almost any meal or snack. You can blend it in your favorite smoothie, don’t be surprised when it turns green, create your own salad with toppings/dressing of your choice, cook it in your pasta dishes, and my favorite, bake them! For the baking, talking about kale “chips” now, simply wash, toss in olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake them in the oven, at about 325F for 15-20min.

     So try adding some kale to your day and let us know how it goes. And as always, thanks again for all of the #WellfieWednesday support, be sure to post your pictures again this week and tag Eric (@Eric_in_AmERICa) or myself (@PBernerSPT) and keep the wave of healthy change going!

-       Dr. Patrick Berner, PT, DPT

-       Dr. Eric Uveges, PT, DPT