We have discussed Collards and Kale in our
Healthful Living Forum, but they are such a blessing that we need to begin a special topic just for them. They are easy to grow and will contribute to good health more than most foods, especially when you grow them!
Long ago I used to eat them just barely cooked so they would not lose their vitamins. But, I have learned better. Cook them until they are tender, add a little salt and they will taste a lot better than eating them plain. My favorite recipe is to cook them in a cashew or sunflower creme. They are then more than healthy, they are delicious!
Collards and kale share many healthy attributes, but they are not the same. Therefore, I would grow both and enjoy them either together or separate. I like to chop them very fine and use both in a salad. When cut very fine, they are tender. As amazing as it may sound, they are fat soluble so cooking them and eating them with a little fat (veg fat) will improve absorption.
Kale has the top place when it comes to vitamins A and K. But collards come in a very close second beating out kale with a higher amount of calcium. I put kale on top because of its Lutein content. The lutein content in collards is 16,000 mcg. The lutein content in kale is 31,000 mcg. This is a carotenoid that is very beneficial to eye health.
source. I have seen a miraculous healing of the eyes with the treatment of raw collard and kale juice over a two month period. God has put within our food many healing properties that He often uses to heal the sick.
Here is a comparison of kale and collards from the USDA
Collards fresh and boiled
Nutrient Unit 1 cup, chopped
Water g 171.34
Energy kcal 63
Protein g 5.15
Total lipid (fat) g 1.37
Carbohydrate, 10.74
Fiber, total dietary 7.6
Sugars, total g 0.76
MineralsCalcium, Ca mg 268
Iron, Fe mg 2.15
Magnesium, Mg 40
Phosphorus, P mg 61
Potassium, K mg 222Sodium, Na mg 28
Zinc, Zn mg 0.2 0.44
VitaminsVitamin C, mg 34.6
Thiamin mg 0.076
Riboflavin mg 0.201
Niacin mg 1.092
Vitamin B-6 0.243
Folate, DFE ug 30Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00
Vitamin A, RAE µg 722
Vitamin A, IU IU 14440Vitamin E mg 1.67
Vitamin D 0.0
Vitamin D IU 0
Vitamin K µg 772.5Kale fresh and boiled
Nutrient Unit 1 cup, chopped
Water g 118.56
Energy kcal 36
Protein g 2.47
Total lipid (fat) 0.52g
Carbohydrate, 7.32g
Fiber, total 2.6
Sugars, total 1.62g
MineralsCalcium, Ca 94
Iron, Fe mg 1.17
Magnesium, 23mg
Phosphorus, 36mg
Potassium, Kmg 296Sodium, Na mg 30
Zinc, Zn mg 0.31
VitaminsVitamin C, total mg 53.3
Thiamin mg 0.069
Riboflavin mg 0.091
Niacin mg 0.650
Vitamin B-6 mg 0.179
Folate, DFE µg 17
Vitamin B-12 µg 0.00
Vitamin A, RAE µg 885
Vitamin A, IU IU 17707Vitamin E mg 1.10
Vitamin D ug 0.0
Vitamin D IU 0
Vitamin K µg 1062.1USDA