By Dominique Michelle Astorino, POPSUGAR
Kale is so nutrient dense and versatile, but it can also cause a lot of bloating. Because it's a cruciferous vegetable, eating it raw can take a toll on your digestion and lead to a gassy, distended belly. And while bloating can be innocuous at times, it also can cause pain and leave you not feeling your best.
But fear not — if you love your kale salads, there IS a way to eat kale without doing a number on your digestive tract. Clinical nutritionist and detox specialist Autumn Bates, CCN, shared this debloating hack with POPSUGAR: "Marinate your kale in lemon juice overnight," said Bates.
[post_ads]She emphasized that it's superimportant to incorporate kale and other cruciferous vegetables into your diet — "These veggies are extremely nutritious and have tons of benefits; kale can reduce your risk of cancer and assist your liver with detoxing," she said. But if you experience bloating and discomfort, you can mitigate that with a little marination. "Marinating your salad overnight — or at least for a few hours! — in a lemon-based dressing or lemon juice helps to break down the fiber and stimulate digestion in your GI [gastrointestinal] tract when you eat it, ultimately reducing any gas and bloating that usually accompanies kale."
Another tip? "Try first finely chopping your kale; this helps with the digestion process by decreasing the amount of chewing you need to do," she said. "Toss your chopped kale with a mixture of one juiced lemon and two teaspoons of olive oil with a pinch of Celtic sea salt. You can let this sit overnight, because kale is such a sturdy leafy green. Pro tip: toss your other salad ingredients in the next day when you go to eat your salad, so that you maintain crunch with the other veggies." Yummm.
Kale is so nutrient dense and versatile, but it can also cause a lot of bloating. Because it's a cruciferous vegetable, eating it raw can take a toll on your digestion and lead to a gassy, distended belly. And while bloating can be innocuous at times, it also can cause pain and leave you not feeling your best.
But fear not — if you love your kale salads, there IS a way to eat kale without doing a number on your digestive tract. Clinical nutritionist and detox specialist Autumn Bates, CCN, shared this debloating hack with POPSUGAR: "Marinate your kale in lemon juice overnight," said Bates.
[post_ads]She emphasized that it's superimportant to incorporate kale and other cruciferous vegetables into your diet — "These veggies are extremely nutritious and have tons of benefits; kale can reduce your risk of cancer and assist your liver with detoxing," she said. But if you experience bloating and discomfort, you can mitigate that with a little marination. "Marinating your salad overnight — or at least for a few hours! — in a lemon-based dressing or lemon juice helps to break down the fiber and stimulate digestion in your GI [gastrointestinal] tract when you eat it, ultimately reducing any gas and bloating that usually accompanies kale."
Another tip? "Try first finely chopping your kale; this helps with the digestion process by decreasing the amount of chewing you need to do," she said. "Toss your chopped kale with a mixture of one juiced lemon and two teaspoons of olive oil with a pinch of Celtic sea salt. You can let this sit overnight, because kale is such a sturdy leafy green. Pro tip: toss your other salad ingredients in the next day when you go to eat your salad, so that you maintain crunch with the other veggies." Yummm.
