Kale chips are easy to make. Raw food purists prefer to use a dehydrator. However, if you do not have a dehydrator, you can easily make them in your oven. Later in this post, we discuss another interesting reason why you may want to make these in the oven. This recipe is adapted from the Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon.

Kale chips are a healthier alternative to potato and corn chips. Kale has fiber and is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. These chips are delicate yet they can satisfy the occasional desire for something crunchy. Although we do not cook with oil and get our fats mostly from nuts and seeds, I make an exception here. On a diet? Enjoy these chips with your favorite seasonings and forgo the condiments. Enjoy.

Ingredients (2-4 servings)

● 5 cups chopped or torn kale, hard stems removed
● 1 Tbs. Olive or avocado oil
● 1/4 tsp. Fine ground sea salt
● 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
● 1/2 tsp. Ground cumin
● 1/2 tsp. Ground mustard seed (optional)
● 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast (optional)

Instructions
● Preheat oven to 300º.
● Rinse kale and pat dry with paper towel.
● Remove stems and tear kale into bite sized pieces and put the kale in a large bowl. Green (curly) or Lacinato (Dino) kale work equally well.
● Add oil and seasonings then toss.
● Adjust seasoning to taste.
● Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
● Spread seasoned kale on the baking sheet minimizing overlapping pieces.
● Place sheet in oven and bake for 15 – 20 or until crispy.
● Enjoy.

Off The Grid Health Recommends
● Using organic greens whenever possible.
● Using nutritional yeast and yellow mustard if you want a cheesy flavor.

A note on oxalates and moderation.

We received a Facebook comment suggesting moderation when consuming kale because it can cause a nutrient deficiency. We are grateful for their comment since it allows us to illustrate an important point regarding moderation.

Oxalate is a naturally occurring substance found in a broad array of fruits and vegetables, animals, and humans. However in excess, oxalates can block calcium absorption and form stones in people with kidney disease. The problem is that most websites that claim that kale is high in oxalates do not give actual measurements. A 100 gram serving of kale has 2 mg of oxalates. A 100g serving of spinach contains 970 mg! Kale has 35 times less oxalates than collard greens. So if 1 cup of spinach is potentially dangerous to a kidney patient, we can eat 485 cups of kale before we could become concerned with nutrient absorption issues related to oxalates. Most people with healthy kidneys will not come anywhere near the thresholds for concern eating kale. We should be far more concerned with cooked food carcinogens in potato chips and French fries.

That said, kale is in a class of cruciferous vegetables that are a known source of goitrogens, substances that can limit the uptake of iodine in the body. If iodine is intake is too low, thyroid function will drop below baseline and create a condition known as hypothyroidism. The American Cancer Society recommends that everyone eat 1 cup of raw cruciferous vegetables per day. So one can conclude that, unless otherwise diagnosed or recommended by your doctor, everyone can eat at least a cup. However, cooking cruciferous vegetables dramatically reduces the goitrogenic compounds in these veggies so everyone can have more goitrogen containing veggies as long as they are cooked.

The take away is that moderation can be confusing if not dangerous when “all things in moderation” is applied to the wrong situations without a reference point.

Disclaimer: This note is not meant to replace the advice of your personal doctor or health care practitioner. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise habits.

Thank you for reading. The original Facebook with comments can be found below.