Protein In Kale – Not The Protein Powerhouse
Protein In Kale
Protein in kale has been a hot topic discussion. Kale is definitely a powerhouse green and is rich in vitamins and minerals, but there is one thing that is attributed to kale that we need to look more closely at which is protein.
Kale is known as the queen of greens but the amount of protein in kale shouldn’t be a reason why kale is known as the queen of greens.
Kale has been shouted from roof tops as being a protein powerhouse and has been compared to the protein content of steak. Though the protein in kale is high for a green, it is not one of kale’s stronger benefits.
Kale And Protein?
While researching the protein content in kale I came upon articles that put the protein in kale in a context that made it seem comparable to the protein content in meat.
The way the information was presented made kale seem like a richer source of protein than it actually was.
One such site was the popular Dr. Fuhrman’s site that compared the protein content of 100 calories of kale to 100 calories of broccoli, romaine, lettuce, and 1/4″ fat broiled porterhouse steak.
Comparing the same amount of calories broccoli, romaine lettuce, and kale, they all beat out the porterhouse steak.
This is not a good way to compare apples to apples to give a realistic picture. The numbers look good on paper but not on a plate.
100 calories of 1/4″ fat broiled porterhouse steak is only 1oz of steak. We should compare the amount of protein in an average 8oz piece of steak which would equal 800 calories.
100 calories of raw kale would equal around 3 cups of kale. 800 calories of kale would be around 24 cups of kale.
The protein in 24 cups of raw kale would be the equivalent amount of protein in an 8oz porterhouse steak. I don’t think many people would eat 24 cups of kale in one sitting.
Legumes and nuts are better sources of vegetable protein than the protein in kale and should be used as protein sources in plant based diet and conventional diets.
Though the protein in kale in not on par with the protein in an average piece of steak you shouldn’t overlook “kale benefits” because it’s benefits support healthy living.
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