For people with digestive issues like IBS, kale should be avoided, as it can further worsen symptoms. What you don’t know could kale you. She is a four-time Pulitzer juror, a former USC/Getty Arts Journalism Fellow and a longtime member of the Glickman Drama Jury and the American Theatre Critics Association. Let's stop right here. While kale itself is an all-star, one thing that gives it its bright and shiny gold star in the health world is also something that can lead to health issues in certain individuals. Kale is very high in beta-carotene, an antioxidant that the body can turn into vitamin A. newsletter. Back in 2010, according to the profile, Hubbard was running a study on detoxing at the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, and noticed that many of his 20 participants' urine samples had higher than normal levels of the heavy metal thallium. As it happened, kale was also a very popular food among Hubbard's patients. Here, learn more about kale and how to include it in the diet. The problem is the article leverages “science” and pull-quotes in a misleading context th… Grapes 3. After eating an extremely large amount of raw kale, you could experience hormonal irregularities that lead to fluctuations in blood sugar, weight, and overall metabolic health. Because kale nutrition content is so great, consuming kale in salads, smoothies, soups, and other meals can help benefit your health. Doctors Data also happens to be the subject of numerous lawsuits and court orders for misleading the public with test results that were used to peddle bogus dietary supplements and detox therapies. Support from our readers helps us rely less on advertising, and keep our resource-intensive work free for everyone who needs it. If your dog eats kale, the best thing you can do is monitor him closely for signs of intestinal upset or kidney and bladder stones. Cruciferous vegetables, also known as brassicas, can include kale, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choi, arugula, turnips, and watercress. As the Daily Meal noted, an 88-year-old woman in China fell into a coma in 2010 after a case of cabbage-related thyroid dysfunction. Nuts 4. "Thallium is differently bound in different soils and therefore from different soils with the same thallium content, different availability of thallium was reported," he wrote.Zbiral also noted that kale shouldn't be singled out here. You know that extremely green and cruciferous super-food you’ve been gorging on? The upshot is that rawness might be dangerous when it comes to kale, long a darling of the health food set. According to Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute. Before scientists were blinded by kale’s health food halo, they studied its horrific effect on livestock. The truth is that both spinach and kale are very healthy for you. If kale is off limits, where are we to draw the line? "The final content [of thallium in the kale] is a function of thallium soil concentration," Zbiral said. In other words, kale is particularly good at absorbing heavy metals through its roots (as are related vegetables in the Brassica family, such as broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts). This piece originally claimed that Hubbard wasn't a scientist, based on the fact that he hasn't published in peer-reviewed journals. And other scientists say there's no basis for worrying about kale. Stress and the many changes this year could be causing irregular periods, hair loss, and more. The debate over a CDC panel’s guidelines, explained. Step away from that salad. This is a suggestive hypothesis. There's no evidence in the profile that Hubbard has done this. There's one problem with Hubbard's hypothesis: There's just no published, peer-reviewed studies whatsoever of a link between kale and various diseases in humans. For his next step, according to the profile, Hubbard began collecting samples of local kale around California and sending them to labs to test for heavy metals. When you buy kale, you’ll normally find it sold whole or pre-chopped, and it can be eaten raw or cooked. So the problem is less with kale, and more with growing food in contaminated areas.I'll add: In America, it's far more likely that people are getting sick from eating too few fresh fruits and vegetables than from overdosing on kale. (Craftsmanship Magazine). Some say you could even develop a goiter. Cons of eating raw kale. Kale is a dark, leafy vegetable that is commonly eaten as a food source. That may well wreak havoc on blood sugar, weight, and overall metabolic health. Hubbard also said he has been running other experiments that weren't mentioned in the Craftsmanship article — experiments that shed more light on the kale-thallium poisoning hypothesis. It can potentially cause stomach pain, constipation, or bloating. Kale is heralded for its ample supplies of calcium, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin K, and various healthful phytochemicals and anti-oxidants. Before You Eat Kale, Cook It. Magnesium has a crucial job working with vitamin D to help your bones absorb calcium. Kale's über-healthy reputation is in part thanks to the cancer-fighting compounds it boasts called glucosinolates. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Hubbard would nod, say he expected as much, then show them the note-card on his desk to prove it. Steaming or cooking deactivates the oxalic acid content that they have, making them more nutritious. Nutritional profile. But there is no fact behind the hype. I grow Kale, so love eating it both raw and cooked. Certain compounds in the vegetable can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis and essentially … Here’s when the IRS will send out $600 checks. Most soils only have very low levels of thallium, he told me. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Something strange is happening with the planets right now, and TikTok is very excited. She has a Master's Degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley. Gluten-free snacks 7. It seems you can’t go into a restaurant, grocery store, or corner bodega these days without running into different varieties and forms of kale and quinoa labeled as superfoods. We want to add 2,020 more founding contributors to our supporter base by the end of the year. Kale is commonly used to prevent cancer and heart disease. Is kale actually bad for you? Although kale is good for us it is advisable to eat them in moderation. As such, we are retracting our characterization of him as a non-scientist. Raw foods I don’t know about you, but I eat all of these foods frequently and for a reason: they are good for you. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! No one has established a link between thallium and the illnesses documented in the profile — nor has anyone definitively ruled out other possible causes. However, Hubbard reached out to us following publication to say he has worked in the field of science — including in biotech and at other health companies — for nearly 40 years. The fact that people who have various symptoms also happen to eat kale is in no way proof that the two are linked. But there's a compound within glucosinolates that interferes with your thyroid function-and some may worry that eating too much kale could hurt their thyroid and possibly even cause hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). What's more, the idea that poisonous kale might be the cause of conditions as varied as arrhythmias and cognitive troubles seems suspect on its face. That’s the main problem with this article, which in total listed 11 foods, including: 1. "It suddenly hit me," he told Craftsmanship, "I thought, ‘Oh, my God!’", Low-level thallium poisoning from kale, Hubbard suspected, might be causing an array of symptoms in his patients — from chronic fatigue to "foggy thinking.". Experts are extremely skeptical that one type of food can explain a vast array of health problems, The approach outlined here has obvious flaws. 8. This week in TikTok: The dawning of the Age of Aquarius (apparently). In fact, experts are extremely skeptical that eating one type of food can explain a vast array of health problems. That means that consuming big portions of raw kale, which you are likely doing to stay healthy, may actually lead to hormonal irregularities. To make the most of all it has to offer, chow down on 1 1/2 cups a few times a week. In fact, they say, it could actually be unhealthy for you and cause problems for your thyroid. "You'd have to eat an exorbitant amount of raw kale or other raw cruciferous vegetables for this to have an affect on a healthy person's thyroid," said Horton. Unfortunately, it really needs to be steamed before it’s eaten. According to Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute, kale has long been hailed for its heart healthy and cancer-fighting properties. As the Baltimore Sun reported, while cooked kale is still regarded as a nutritional powerhouse, if you are chomping down on too many raw kale salads, you may be running the risk of impairing your thyroid. Cooking Light's Food and Nutrition Director, Brierley Horton, M.S., R.D., doesn't want you to give up your leafy greens just yet. Instead, the Craftsmanship article describes him doing this: Whenever the clinic would send him someone with the kind of chronic problems associated with thallium, or any other complaints that were hard to pin down, Hubbard would scribble kale on a little note-card and turn it face-down on his desk. Could Christmas surge be next? There's a bogus new health theory making the rounds — the idea that kale is bad for you. Advertisement. A recent article in Mother Jones warned that excess kale consumption could lead to "unhappy side effects" due to the presence of toxic heavy metals in the leaves. Sign up for the If you buy, look for organic Kale as pesticides are used heavily during the growing process. After a short work-up, he’d ask the patient to list his or her favorite vegetables. However, Hubbard reached out to us following publication to say he has worked in the field of science — including in biotech and at other health companies — for nearly 40 years. A recent article in Mother Jones warned that excess kale consumption could lead … Kale is a goitrogenic vegetable and when eaten raw, this vegetable can inhibit the …