Why Kale is Crucial to People with Celiac Disease

When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, it was because my nurse practitioner (NP) was looking for an obscure tropical parasite that she suspected was ravaging my body. You can read more about that here. Unfortunately, the answer wasn’t as easy as a round of antibiotics. Instead I got a lifelong disease that would completely change my entire lifestyle. But in the process of figuring out my diagnosis, my NP ordered a full round of blood work. And what she found was scary.

Even though I looked like a healthy, strong 26 year old (ah—I was so young. C’e la vie!), my labs were completely out of whack. Especially my electrolytes. And the biggest red flag of all? My calcium was terribly low.

Pre-Colonoscopy Hospital Gown Selfie! In my defense, there's not a lot to do in a clinic waiting room but read curled-paged magazines and feel anxious. Sent this to my spouse with the caption "shit's going down."   

But why? I asked. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone in this world who loved ice cream and cheese more than me. How could my calcium be low?

Well, what some of you may know who have had the disease for a while, and what some of you new-bies or “just curious” readers might not know, is that celiac disease wreaks havoc on your intestines when you are eating gluten*. This causes massive damage to your intestinal villi which leads to nutritional deficiencies. In laymans terms: I could eat all the calcium I wanted, but my body wouldn’t absorb it.

Oddly enough, the year previous to my diagnosis I’d volunteered for a research study on bone density and received a bone scan. The head researcher ended up following up with me, and asked me if I had malabsorption problems. I said no, and he said I better start eating more foods with calcium. I think this was his polite way of saying I have old lady bird bones.

Sweet Chili-Lime Kale (recipe below)

Anyway, how does this all relate to kale? Well, like most greens, kale is gluten-free. It is also a nutritional powerhouse. Although kale is considered trendy, it’s for a very good reason. Kale has huge health benefits, and not just to people with celiac. But I would say, especially for people with celiac.

First of all, kale packs a huge punch when it comes to calcium, having a higher calcium content per calorie than even milk! This is great for us gluten-free foodies, because many of us have suffered from calcium deficiencies our whole lives without even knowing it. (My many broken bones throughout childhood should have been a hint though…)

One of the other labs that came back very low was iron. Now, this was also troubling to me. I was a vegetarian for three years at the end of high school and beginning of college and knew that I was having trouble finding enough iron rich foods for my diet. But by the time I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was eating meat all the time. I’d actually become quite a whiz at the grill and was eating more ribeye than your average Texas cowboy. But I was still iron deficient.

Kale Garlic Superfood Stir-Fry (recipe below)

Well, kale has the answer there, too. Kale has more iron per calorie than your average steak! Although keep in mind that kale is low-calorie, so you need to eat a healthy amount.

Now, I know I’m not the only person with celiac who is deficient in calcium and iron. In fact, calcium and iron are two of the most common nutritional deficiencies in people with celiac disease.  And yet, there is a food that is high in both, AND has many other health benefits. How amazing is that?

And if I haven’t convinced you yet of the importance of kale for gluten-free girls and boys, here are a few more important facts about kale:

1) Kale is packed with fiber. Keep that colon clean, people!

2) Eating kale can help reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease**. Really, that should be reason enough to give it a try!

3) The Cleveland Clinic is calling Kale the “king of leafy greens” because kale is a powerhouse of nutrients. Not only is it full of calcium and iron, but also lutien, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A***

Convinced? Here are some recipes to get you started on your own conquest of kale!

Sweet Chili Kale

Lite Lime and Pinto Bean Salad

Berry Good For You Kale Juice

Kale Garlic Superfood Stir-Fry

Its Easy Being Green Juice

Recipes soon to come: Kale Chips and Turkey Kale Cabbage Stir-Fry

Recipes I Want to Try By Fellow Bloggers (outside links):

* SAVORY STUFFED SWEET POTATOES WITH WHITE BEANS AND KALE by Boy Meets Bowl

* CARROT-CORIANDER VINAIGRETTE OVER KALE by Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef

* GLUTEN FREE KALE QUICHE by Gluten is My Bitch

* KALE SALAD WITH QUINOA, TANGERINES, AND ROASTED ALMONDS by Gluten-Free Goddess

* ZUPPA TUOSCANA by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Cited Sources: 

*Mayo Clinic. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/celiac-disease/basics/definition/CON-20030410

** Stanford Cancer Institute. http://cancer.stanford.edu/information/nutritionAndCancer/reduceRisk/

*** Cleveland Clinic http://www.clevelandclinicwellness.com/DailyDose/archive/2012/01/30/Daily-Wellness-Tip-1-30-12.aspx

Sweet and Spicy Kale

"Imagination is everything." - Albert Einstein 

Sometimes the most creative recipes are born from a single craving. That's how this recipe came to be. I woke up craving, of all things, sweet chili sauce. But I didn't really have anything that went with sweet chili sauce in my cupboards, and I'd just gone grocery shopping and I refused to go buy something just to dip it in sweet chili sauce!

So I sat with my refrigerator, staring and ho-humming, when I had a brilliant idea. See, I love the health benefits of kale, but the bitter taste does turn me off a little. But sweet chili sauce might be the perfect solution to tone it down. Add a little lime, and I came up with a delicious dressing. The feta cheese helps even out the taste to make a great slightly-cooked salad.

You definitely have to have an open mind, and open palate, to try this one, but if you do I don't think you'll be disappointed! I paired it with a lime-marinade chicken breast (recipe forthcoming).

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce

Juice of 1 lime

3 teaspoons feta cheese

6 cups of kale

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Directions:

Step 1: In a small bowl mix sweet chili sauce and lime juice. Set aside.

Step 2: In a saucepan heat grapeseed oil on low/medium. Add kale and stir continuously, for about 1 minute or until the kale has started to wilt. Quickly remove from heat.

Step 3: Pour sweet chili sauce dressing onto kale and toss. Top with feta cheese and serve. 

Serves 2.

(lime-marinade chicken served with sweet chili kale)

Lite Lime and Pinto Bean Salad

"You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?" - Rumi

Okay, so my quote for this post doesn't have much to do with the food that I cooked. But I just loved it so much, I had to share it. Happy eating!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1 avocado, sliced in 1/2 an inch to 1 inch pieces
1 tomato, sliced in 1/2 an inch to 1 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon cumin
juice of 1 lime
pinch of salt
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 leaf kale, torn into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon garlic grapeseed oil (can be substituted for olive oil and crushed garlic)

Directions:

Step 1: Cook and rinse beans according to package (you can also use canned beans). My pinto package didn't have instructions, so I used wikihow's instructions and they turned out perfectly. Put the beans in a small bowl and pour white wine vinegar over the beans. Let the marinate while you prepare the rest of your salad (about 10-20 minutes).

Step 2: In a large bowl place sliced tomatoes, kale, and avocado. In a smaller bowl mix cumin, lime, and salt. Pour mixture over the tomatoes and avocado. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add onion and cilantro to your large bowl. Toss carefully to not squish your avocado!

Step 4: Drain your beans from the white wine vinegar (or leave to give your salad an extra kick!). Slowly add beans to the large bowl and toss to distribute pieces equally. Drizzle with garlic grapeseed oil. Toss lightly.

Serves 6-8 sides.

"Berry Good for You" Kale Juice

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." - Rumi

Today I had my first vegan pizza. It was kind of an eye-opening experience. Food can taste really good, and reflect my values.

Honestly, my general impression of vegans has been people who live on vegetables and unhappiness. Its hard for me to picture myself being satisfied and eating vegan. But lately, I've really been aware of the impact I have on the world with my food choices. I've also been noticing the impact my food choices have on my body, and my thinking is starting to shift. 

I still don't think I have the discipline to ever go completely vegan, but I'm really interested in cooking more environmentally and animal friendly foods. So, hopefully you will see more vegetarian and vegan gluten-free recipes popping up on my blog. (vegan pizza from Plant Based Pizza)

Speaking of which...yep, I'm still obsessed with juicing. And kale.  This is the fusion of my two obsessions. Perfection in a glass!

Ingredients:

7 strawberries

1/3 cup blueberries

1 1/2 cups kale

13 raspberries

6 blackberries



I'm using the Breville juicer pictured below (links to amazon if you want the same one!):

Kale Garlic Superfood Stir-Fry

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm totally sucked into the kale trend. It's a powerhouse of nutrients (calcium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C), helps prevent cancer according to the Stanford Cancer Institute, and it tastes pretty darn good. I'm making all sorts of recipes with kale lately, and this is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

7 cups baby kale

½ yellow onion, chopped to your preference

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

2 tablespoons gluten-free chicken broth*

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Step 1: In a large (and I mean large to fit all that good kale!) skillet, warm olive oil on low heat. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute.

Step 2: Increase heat to low/medium and add onions to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sliced zucchini and yellow squash to the skillet. Continue to cook for 8-12 minutes.

Step 3: When your current stir-fry is almost completely cooked, add gluten-free chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium. Slowly stir in kale, making sure it gets covered in that garlicy goodness. Cook for 1-5 minutes, depending on how well-done you like your kale. I like mine fully cooked, but you get more nutrition out of the kale if you leave it kind of crunchy!

Step 4: Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the stir fry and cook for 1 more minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Serves 4.

*substitute vegetable broth or water to keep it vegetarian

"It's Easy Being Green" Juice

It's official, I'm addicted to juicing. This is my favorite green juice combo so far! It's easy, nutritious, and tastes great. So naturally I had to share it with you!

Ingredients:

2 apples

1/4 lime (peeled)

1 large stalk of kale, or 2 small stalks

2 stalks of celery

Bottoms up!

I'm using the Breville juicer pictured below (links to amazon if you want the same one!):