Short answer: kale is strongly alkaline-forming and it is approved. It is also one of the most useful vegetables on the list to learn properly, because it does more jobs than any other green here.
The numbers
Kale measures pH 6.40 to 6.80 — just below neutral as a food.
Its PRAL is −8.3, which is strongly alkaline-forming and among the highest of any approved vegetable. Calcium, potassium and magnesium all contribute.
Is kale Dr. Sebi approved?
Yes, without qualification. It appears on every reproduction of the approved vegetable list, and it is one of the few greens named in every version, so there is no ambiguity to work around.
Some context alongside that: kale is an old leaf. It was the everyday green of northern Europe for centuries before cabbage heads became common, grown because it survives frost — a hard freeze actually sweetens it, as the plant converts starch to sugar to protect itself. That is why kale bought in late autumn and winter tastes noticeably better than kale bought in high summer, and why it is usually cheaper then too.
Which kind to buy
Three kinds turn up regularly, and they are not interchangeable.
- Curly kale — the common supermarket type, ruffled and pale green. Sturdy, slightly peppery, and the best of the three for cooking in a pot, because the ruffles trap sauce.
- Lacinato (cavolo nero, dinosaur kale) — dark, flat, blistered leaves. Softer, sweeter and less fibrous. This is the one to use raw, and the one that needs the least massaging.
- Red or Russian kale — flatter leaves with purple stems, tender and mild. Cooks fastest of the three and wilts down the most.
Whichever kind, look for stiff stems and deeply coloured leaves. Yellowing anywhere on the bunch means it has been sitting; small holes from insects are cosmetic and are often a sign the bunch was grown without heavy spraying. Bunched kale is almost always cheaper per usable ounce than bagged pre-chopped kale, and it keeps several days longer.
Preparing it
Strip the leaf from the stem rather than chopping through both: hold the stem in one hand and pull the leaf away with the other, or fold the leaf in half along the rib and cut it out. Tear the leaves instead of chopping them where you can, since torn edges stay green and chopped ones bruise.
For raw kale, massaging is the step that changes everything. Put the torn leaves in a bowl with a little approved oil and a squeeze of key lime, and work them between your fingers for one to two minutes. The leaves darken, shrink by roughly a third and turn silky — the acid and the pressure break down the cell walls that make raw kale tough and squeaky. Salt lightly before massaging if you want it softer still. Massaged kale holds dressed in the fridge for a day or two without wilting, which is unusual for a salad green and makes it good for lunches prepared ahead.
Do not throw the stems away. Sliced thin across the grain and started two or three minutes before the leaves, they give a crunch worth having.
Cooking it
Kale holds up better than spinach and works anywhere you would have used collard greens, which are not on the list. It will take almost any cooking method without falling apart.
Steamed — five to eight minutes, until a leaf folds limply over a spoon. Pull it while the colour is still bright; dull olive-green means it has gone too far.
In a pot — soften a sliced onion first, add the kale with only the water clinging to it, cover for five minutes, then uncover to let the moisture cook off. Season with sea salt, cayenne, oregano, thyme or basil, and finish with key lime and a spoon of olive or grapeseed oil off the heat.
As chips — torn leaves, dried thoroughly, tossed with the smallest amount of oil you can spread across them, then baked in a single layer at around 300°F / 150°C for 20 to 25 minutes. Low and slow is the trick; hot ovens burn the thin edges before the thick ones crisp. Wet leaves steam instead of crisping, so dry them properly first.
In soup — added in the last ten minutes, kale keeps its texture where softer greens dissolve. It is the green to use if you are batch-cooking a pot to eat across several days.
The most common mistake is treating kale like spinach and giving it thirty seconds. The second most common is crowding the pan, which steams it grey. Use a wide pan, and cook in two batches if you have a lot.
How to use it
A working portion is one to two cups cooked, which is about three cups of raw leaves per person, or a large handful and a half. A standard bunch feeds two to three people as a side.
Store it unwashed, wrapped loosely in a damp cloth inside a bag in the crisper drawer — five to seven days that way, longer than most greens. Wash just before cooking, in a bowl of cold water rather than under a tap, lifting the leaves out so grit stays behind. For longer storage, blanch for two minutes, cool in cold water, squeeze hard and freeze in handful-sized portions; frozen kale goes straight into a pot without thawing and keeps several months.
Across a week, kale earns its place by doing three different jobs: massaged raw in a salad, cooked down with onion as a side, and dropped into soup. Buying two bunches and using them three ways is cheaper and less monotonous than buying three different greens.
This is food, not a treatment for any condition. If you have symptoms or a diagnosis, see your doctor — eating well sits alongside medical care, not instead of it.
Common questions
Is kale acidic?
Very slightly as a food, around pH 6.4 to 6.8. Strongly alkaline-forming after digestion, at a PRAL of about −8.3.
Is kale better than spinach?
Within the framework, kale is approved and spinach is not, which settles it. By measurement spinach is more alkaline-forming, but kale is much lower in oxalates.
Can I eat kale every day?
For most people, yes. If you take thyroid medication, large daily amounts of raw cruciferous vegetables are worth raising with your doctor.
Why is kale approved when broccoli is not?
Kale is named on the approved list, and broccoli is named among the foods to avoid. The guide works as a closed list: what is named is in, and what is not is out.
Does kale have to be organic?
It does not have to be. If budget is the constraint, buying more conventional kale and eating it often beats buying organic occasionally. Wash it well in a bowl of cold water either way.
Related
- Is avocado alkaline or acidic?
- Is spinach alkaline, and why isn’t it approved?
- Is broccoli alkaline, and why isn’t it approved?
- Are mushrooms alkaline or acidic?
- The complete approved food list
Wondering which greens are approved? The Ackaline app scans any food and tells you whether it’s approved — free to download. The full list with the reasoning is in The Alkaline Healing Blueprint.
For education, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before making significant changes to how you eat.
