How to Cook Dinosaur Kale to Calm the Gut and Get the Most Nutrition from It.

In this video, Dr. Michele Arnold explains why cooking dark leafy greens such as Dinosaur kale is the best way for the body to absorb its nutrients. She also explains the best way to cook it to calm an inflamed gut.

Dinosaur kale is also known as Lacinto Kale, Tuscan kale, Black kale, or Cavolo kale.

It is preferred over the more popular curly kale to use in the case of digestive issues where there is pain, inflammation, and difficulty eating fibrous foods. This is because the leaves are smoother, softer than the regular kale. It has a sweeter, less bitter taste. Therefore, it may be less harsh on a sensitive ulcerated gut lining.

This kale is full of nutritious constituents.

• Minerals: calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, potassium.

• Antioxidants: Vitamin C that protects against free radicals. Carotenoids and flavonoids like Lutein and Zeaxanthin. These are beneficial for eyesight and protective against age related cataracts, and macular degeneration.

• Fat soluble vitamins: Vitamin A and vitamin K. This is why cooking the kale with a healthy fat is necessary in order to absorb these nutrients.

• The dark green color of its leaves come from the chlorophyll. This is a green pigment that has a molecular structure with magnesium at its center. The center ring is surrounded by nitrogen atoms.

• There is only trace amounts of iodine and vitamin E, thus it is not known for providing these nutrients.

All of these good things can potentially help your body.

• Boost immune system

• Lower cholesterol

• Reduce waistline

• Lower inflammation

• Benefit vision, nails, hair, skin, and the nervous system.

How to Eat or Cook Kale?

• Eat it raw as in a salad for instance. This is good when you are hot, when you need cleansing and cooling. Raw is cold by nature and can be damp forming, however. Eating too many raw veggies as in a blended green drink can be too cold and damp for some people.

• Eating the rough stems provide higher fiber content. If you like the texture, crunch, and you have strong digestive fire where you don't have an issue with fiber then enjoy it. Fiber gives bulk to the stool.

• For weak digestive fire be sure to remove the stems.

• Listen to your body. What works for one person doesn't always work for another person.

• Avoid any foods you know you have an allergy to. This is common sense. We can't predict all idiosyncrasies, however.

• To calm an inflamed and painful gut eat kale pureed or even strained into a juice. You can choose to use this form as a mono diet until your symptoms improve. Then slowly introduce more foods.

• Cooking kale with a healthy fat not only makes it taste good, but it also helps bring out the beneficial nutrients.

Why Blanch dark leafy greens?

It will help the greens last longer in the refrigerator or freezer. It also pre-digests it by cooking it. Blanched greens can last 2-4 days in the refrigerator, or eight to twelve months in the freezer.

I think having some blanched greens makes it easier to be sure you're eating enough of them every day.

How much to eat?

4-5 cups of cooked dark leafy greens.

Eat them in a soup, a stew, a broth, in a casserole, in a pasta dish, rice dish, as a side-dish. Cook them with eggs. Blend them into a green smoothy. Put them in a sandwich, a taco, a burrito. I can go on and on.

Watch the video to see how to blanch these greens.

The ice water bath is not essential, but it cools the greens quickly so that you can handle them. You can quickly squeeze out the excess water and then store them in a container. If you don't use an ice bath, then you should let them cool down before placing them in the freezer or refrigerator.

When not to eat Kale?

• If you are on medications, especially anti-coagulants, talk with your doctor first. Because of the vitamin K you may need to avoid dark leafy greens, and Dinosaur kale.

• If you are prone to gallstones, or kidney stones, for instance, you might need to avoid foods high in oxalates.

• Kale, and Dinosaur kale are considered low in oxalates, and you may be able to enjoy them.

• Talk with your doctor first. Other greens that are high in oxalic acids are spinach, Swiss chard, beet greens, broccoli, rhubarb, or kiwi. You might need to avoid these.

• Oxalic acids aren't the cause for all stones, so talk with your doctor before deciding to omit a nutritious and yummy food from your diet.

In the video Dr. Michele mentions an additive in the organic cream used in the recipe. Read your labels!

This was Gallen Gum. It is a thickening and stabilizing agent. It gives the cream a longer shelf life. It also makes it unusually thick compared to cream without it. It is similar to gelatin, but a vegan version. It is made by fermenting sugars with bacteria.

You can Google it, and it seems that the research says it has health benefits. It is considered safe. No negative effects have been found.

Personally, I don't think we need an additive. I want just the cream and milk please. I will enjoy the health benefits of the natural cream. I will enjoy the health benefits from natural dark leafy greens thank you!

Plus, more and more people are having issues with foods. Dairy, milk products in particular. Is it possible because the processing of these products has changed over the years. We take out the good fat in milk that is vital for absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins. We add thickeners, and stabilizers. We add in antibiotics. We also have a history of antibiotic use from an infection. We think that fortifying by adding vitamins will be as effective. This is just food for thought.

In a nutshell, eat your dark leafy greens. Try Dinosaur Kale!

Tell me if you tried eating some Dinosaur kale.

For more information you can check out www.livingwelldrmichele.com

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Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products or suggestions are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Symptom, Disease, and Traditional Chinese pattern information is drawn from a variety of sources.

It is your responsibility as a patient to always tell your physician or health practitioner all prescription medications, herbs, nutritional supplements, and birth control pills that you are taking.