Kale: The Part of My Family that was Missing!

Greetings to all!  Today, I will talk about KALE and how it has become part of my family!  What is kale?  Dictionary.com - a cabbagelike cultivated plant, Brassica oleracea acephala, of the mustard family, having curled or wrinkled leaves: used as a vegetable.

Let me tell you how kale has become part of my family.  My journey with kale began about 3 years ago.  Though I wish the journey began a lot sooner.  After my daughter was born, I started to experience pain in my upper inner thigh.  As time went on, the pain worsened and it became chronic.   Being a stay-at-home mom and having an over-active toddler in the house compounded an already stressful situation, which pushed me to the edge and I almost fell into a deep depression.  Many asked if I consulted a doctor for the pain, but I did not.  Truthfully, I did not want to risk the chance of becoming medicated and did not feel comfortable about taking medication everyday...I do not even like taking vitamins.  So, this is what I did.  Given that the pain was localized and occasionally throbbing, I researched everywhere on the Internet for foods that had natural anti-inflammatory properties.  To my surprise, #1 = KALE!  I was amazed...it gave me hope that I did not need to medicate myself daily!  Because of kale's elevated amounts of antioxidants, Omega-3's and Vitamin K, not only does it inhibit the onset of inflammation, but in my case, it made it disappear.  When, I first began my kale consumption, I did not incorporate it into my daily diet plan, but had it maybe every 3 days.  Even though the pain was starting to subside because I was consuming kale more often than never, it was still present, so I had to increase the frequency of my consumption.  Before I knew it, kale was the quickest food to disappear from my fridge because my husband started to consume it as well.  He said he thinks I am going to outlive him by decades if he does not jump on the all-natural green band wagon.  For about a year the pain came back intermittently, maybe about once a month for less than a week.  Now, a year and a half later, it is completely gone.

During my journey, there were 4 very important components that I had to change in order to elevate my consumption of kale - to make certain the results would stick.  Number 1 - change to a truly all-natural foods nutrition plan - I started to incorporate more natural foods into my daily regimen (not boxed foods that state"all-natural"), more produce, whole grains, less sweets and less junk.  Number 2 - Incorporate more whole body exercise in my weekly routine.  Number 3 - Dedication - you must want to devote that time to wellness.  Number 4 - Consistency - be consistent with your nutrition plan (do not go one week where you are doing everything right and fail to do so the following week). 

Great ways to consume kale along with other greens: blending in smoothie, juicing, steaming, salads, stews, stir-frys, etc. 

Currently, I can proudly say that I am pain-free from frequent headaches, body aches (from working new muscles) and fatigue.  Another thing I noticed was I was constantly getting sick before, especially when my daughter picked up a bug from school which rarely happens anymore.  I am living proof that taking huge steps for change really does make a difference.  I will be 35-years old in 15 days and feel great - no daily medications, no vitamin pills (my vitamins come from food sources), no weight issues and I am in overall great health.  Kale, along with many other whole, natural foods is considered part of my family now and we all enjoy the benefits of it! 

I did much scientific research about the antioxidants and vitamins in consuming truly all-natural foods, especially kale and if I were to talk about it in my blog, I would never be able to discuss my true experiences and results.  If you experience chronic pain or just unhappy with your overall health, I encourage you to do your research and start making those important changes.  There is a wealth of information about the benefits of true nutrition from many trusted sources on the Internet in addition to blogs like mine.  Here are several sites I trust and received a lot of my information from:

World's Healthiest Foods 

LiveStrong.com - Benefits of Juicing Kale

Natural News

Awesome Superfoods (click any to buy from Vitacost website - best deals around):

Spirulina



Yaeyama Chlorella




Wheat Grass Powder



Chia Seeds



Thank you for reading!!  Please contact me if you have any questions about my journey or need a coach!!

I love kale!!  I hope you will love it, too!!