January 2017 Produce Parable
By Adam Calder, Produce Manager
The New Year is off to a great start in the Produce Department, with strong sales and lots of customers looking to start their resolutions to eat a healthier diet this year.
If you are looking for an indicator that people are eating better this month, look no further than kale sales. In a normal week, we sell around 90 bunches of kale. During the first week of January 2017, we sold 230 bunches of kale. That is a 60% increase!
And it is no surprise people are turning to kale when they want to eat a healthy meal. Kale is so versatile. You can make chips, pesto, smoothies, stir fry, soups, salads, kalesadillas…well ok maybe not that last one but you get the idea. Kale is also very nutritious, with a one cup serving having more than 100% of your daily vitamin C and A needs. There’s also calcium, iron, vitamin B-6, magnesium, potassium and dietary fiber.
But did you know that chard has more iron, fiber and protein than kale? Or that collard greens have three times more calcium than kale and twice the amounts of iron and protein? Even mustard greens are surprising in that they have 15 less calories per serving and a tiny bit more calcium and protein than kale.
Eating any of these leafy greens is going to be good for your health and happiness. While kale is a sturdy workhorse, don’t forget that diversity is key to a nutritional diet. So the next time you are getting some kale for your dinner, smoothie or salad go ahead and grab a bunch of collards, mustard greens, dandelion greens or rainbow chard too. Prepare them exactly how you were planning on preparing that kale and you will have a tasty side kick for your New Year’s resolution.
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