Kale, the green leaf which has a myriad of good properties for the body

Kale is a type of vegetable that is very common in Indonesia. Almost everyone, of course, has eaten this vegetable that has another name, water spinach. However, did you know that kale has a lot of goodness for the body? Starting from maintaining eye health, preventing diabetes, to fighting liver disease (liver). Want to know other benefits of water spinach? Check out the following explanation.

What are the nutrients contained in kale?

Source: The Spruce Eats

Water spinach, also known as water spinach, is an aquatic plant that is mostly found in swampy areas. Kale is also a plant that is often found in Asian countries, especially in Indonesia.

As you probably already know, this water spinach vegetable has elongated leaves about 2.5 to 8 centimeters (cm) wide.

Not much different from other types of vegetables, this vegetable which has the Latin name Ipomoea aquatica contains a number of nutrients that are good for the body. In 100 grams (gr) of fresh, raw kale, there are 3.4 grams of protein, 3.9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber.

The content of vitamin A and vitamin C in this vegetable is also very high. Even in a cup of water spinach that has been weeded (about 56 grams), you can meet 70 percent of daily vitamin A needs and 51 percent of daily vitamin C needs.

In addition, water spinach is also rich in various important minerals such as 250.1 milligrams (mg) of potassium, 67 mg of calcium, 2.3 mg of iron, 65 mg of sodium, and 54 mg of phosphorus.

Although rich in many important nutrients, kale or water spinach is a low-calorie vegetable. Before cooking, a cup of water spinach leaves only contains 11 calories.

Various benefits of water spinach for health

Not only does it taste good, there are a myriad of benefits of kale or water spinach that you can get by consuming it regularly:

1. Maintain eye health

Kale is rich in vitamin A which is good for maintaining eye health. The reason is, vitamin A is able to protect the cornea and eye lining from bacterial and viral infections. This vitamin can also increase fluid production so that the eyes don't dry out.

2. Anti-inflammatory

A study in the Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences in 2010 revealed that this water spinach vegetable actually has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is usually characterized by symptoms such as pain and swelling.

In this study, kale was known to be effective in fighting inflammation caused by bacterial infection Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. These bacteria can cause MRSA disease, stye, and food poisoning.

3. Prevent diabetes

In 2013, researchers managed to find the efficacy of regularly eating water spinach to prevent diabetes in pregnant women and their babies. Research in the Journal of Diabetes notes that water spinach works as an antioxidant. These antioxidants are able to ward off diabetes-causing oxidation in the cells of the body of pregnant women and the fetus.

4.Fights liver damage (liver)

Since centuries ago, the benefits of kale are known to be effective in fighting liver damage. Recent research in the journal Molecules has also proven these benefits.

Water spinach can protect the liver from damage, injury, and inflammation. According to experts, this is because kale can trigger the production of enzymes that will cleanse (detoxify) the liver from toxins and waste products that can cause damage.

5. Prevent dehydration

The high content of various types of minerals in kale makes this vegetable good for preventing dehydration. This is due to the main role of minerals like potassium and sodium which are present in them.

These two minerals are responsible for maintaining fluid balance and electrolyte levels in the body. That is why, eating this water spinach vegetable can prevent you from losing too much fluid.

6. Overcoming anemia

Apart from maintaining fluids and electrolytes, the minerals found in kale can also help treat symptoms of anemia. This is because water spinach contains iron and phosphorus.

Iron itself is very effective for increasing the production of red blood cells (hemoglobin). Red blood cells are needed to transport oxygen to all cells and organs in your body, such as the heart and brain.

7. Reducing the risk of chronic disease

The benefits of water spinach that are a pity if overlooked are reducing the risk of chronic disease. On the other hand, other benefits of kale can also prevent other diseases caused by a weakened immune system.

The reason is, water spinach is high in vitamin C which can increase immunity while fighting cell damage. Whether it's because of chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke or due to viral and bacterial infections.

How to safely process kale for food?

Some people may like to eat raw vegetables. Either mixed with a salad, or as fresh vegetables when eating. Eating raw vegetables is also believed to provide you with nutrients in an intact form, because they do not go through the prior heating process.

Meanwhile, when going through the cooking process, the nutritional content in these raw vegetables can be lost or even reduced. However, it is recommended that you exercise extra caution when eating raw vegetables.

This is not without reason, because raw vegetables are at risk of containing bacteria and parasitic worms that can cause disease if ingested. What's more, not all vegetables are safe to eat raw. One of them is water spinach.

Instead of eating it right away, you should first process this water spinach before eating. No need to be confused about how to process it, because there are various interesting kale recipes to try.

You can sauté it, cook it with tauco, dry fry it with flour until it resembles chips, make a soup, or process it with porridge or what is often known as manado porridge.