The Color Purple (in vegetables of course)

As you may have guessed already it is very important to supplement your diet with all the colors of the rainbow (and no, skittles will not suffice). When you cook, ask yourself what would make your food prettier (seriously) and go for it. That's how I started adding slivered raw red beets into my salads when I wasn't even sure that I liked beets and also how I stumbled upon this gorgeous purple kale at my local food coop. I couldn't resist, even if it was overpriced. When you get food that pleases the sense of sight you prize it and are more likely to eat it entirely instead of letting end up like my dearly departed tofu. My friend Joe, the old cook at my first waitressing job, said that, "People taste food in three different ways; first when they see it, second when they smell it and third when it actually hits the palate."

I agree with old Joe (he was also an ex-con and owned

two vintage Jags): you taste what you see. From a Chicago Tribune article by Janet Helm I learned that the purple hue is derived from anthocyanins a phytonutrient from the flavanoid family that is key in preventing and fighting an array of diseases and cancers.

(The photo above is a shot of the blue water created when boiling kale for soup...mmmmmmmmmm.)

Kale itself (no big surprise) is extremely healthy tipping the scale on nutritional value and containing practically nonexistant calories (if steamed or eaten raw, other preparations will add more calories, duh!). It also belongs to the Brassica family of cruciferous vegetables, along with our beloved brussel sprout. Super high in Vitamin K (1328%), Vitamin A (192%) and Vitamin C (89%) it also contains other healthful vitamins and minerals including: manganese, fiber, copper, tryptophan, calcium, B6, Potassium, iron, manganese, vitamin E, omega 3 fatty acids, B2, protein, B1, folate, phosphorous, and B3 in descending order.

So what does this really mean to you? Things high in Vitamin A are high in beta carotene (the stuff in carrots that's good for your eyes). Beta carotene prevents cataracts, improves night vision and helps prevent skin cancer. Vitamin C prevents scurvy of course! But it also helps you to absorb other things like iron and ward off the evil cardiovascular disease. Vitamin K's most common association is that it assists in the clotting of blood but it should also be known that it also helps you absorb calcium which could protect against osteoporosis, fractures and cancer.

In closing let me say that I think thus far we have learned the value in eating our vegetables, so for Christ's sake:

EAT YOUR F*ING VEGETABLES!!!!!!!!!