Kale, a cruciferous leafy green vegetable, is considered by many a “superfood” for its high-
fiber and high-nutrient density. Dr. Joel Fuhrman devised the Aggregate Nutrient Density

Index (ANDI) score, a way of quantifying how rich in nutrients a food is. Kale (and collard
greens) gets a perfect score of 1000. It is a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamin B6,
copper, and magnesium and a number of phytonutrients and flavonoids.
I like kale of course because of its nutrition but also because of its flavor. I love just eating
raw kale leaves. It’s great cooked with tofu or tempeh, for example, and goes great in soups
and stews. I hope that our recipes this show are ones you’ll love to try and integrate into your
cooking.
Around 15 years ago I met and became friends with Nava Atlas. She visited North Carolina
and did a cooking demonstration where I learned about massaged kale. Massaged kale
salad has become one of my favorites; it has a nice citrusy flavor with the lemon or lime juice
and just tastes healthy and fresh! I’m excited that Nava will be joining us for Q&A. By
massaging kale, it becomes more tender and easier to digest. It’s a nice intimate activity for
two to try doing together as well!