Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

TW

In article , TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

Yes, but cooking makes it easier to digest.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 04/12/19 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

We can digest cellulose to some extent, but it does vary between
individuals. Surprisingly, the older we are the more we can digest it!
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/25/8/805.full.pdf

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 04/12/19 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

We can digest cellulose to some extent, but it does vary between
individuals. Surprisingly, the older we are the more we can digest it!
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/25/8/805.full.pdf

It's actually more whether we can break the cell walls that matters.
For some reason, we can do that for leaf vegetables like kale but
not grass (leaves).

To Jenny M Benson: try cavallo nero. Marrowfat kale (which I was fed
as a child) is fit only for cattle, but curly kale is OK and cavallo
nero is better.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 04/12/2019 15:39, Jenny M Benson wrote:
On 04/12/2019 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud?

You obviously weren't watching BBC 4 last night!Â* Apparently cows down't
have 4 stomachs, they have one stomach with 4 compartments.

Why any human being would actively WANT to eat kale I can't imagine.

Curly kale is not bad for a change.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 04/12/19 15:48, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 04/12/19 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

We can digest cellulose to some extent, but it does vary between
individuals. Surprisingly, the older we are the more we can digest it!
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/25/8/805.full.pdf

It's actually more whether we can break the cell walls that matters.
For some reason, we can do that for leaf vegetables like kale but
not grass (leaves).

But isn't the cell wall made (mainly) of cellulose in green plants? I
always assumed that chewing the cud was just an additional stage in the
mechanical breakdown of cell walls, particularly for animals which
depend on the breakdown of cellulose for a good part of their
nutrition.It's an interesting point, though; would we be able to digest
more cellulose - in the absence of specific bacteria for that purpose -
if we chewed the green plants more thoroughly?

To Jenny M Benson: try cavallo nero. Marrowfat kale (which I was fed
as a child) is fit only for cattle, but curly kale is OK and cavallo
nero is better.

Better for what? A "green" alternative to Kevlar, perhaps? I much prefer
curly kale.

On an unrelated matter, but as you often eat different veg, have you
eaten mangold wirzels, and if so, what did they taste like?

--

Jeff

In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:

We can digest cellulose to some extent, but it does vary between
individuals. Surprisingly, the older we are the more we can digest it!
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/25/8/805.full.pdf

It's actually more whether we can break the cell walls that matters.
For some reason, we can do that for leaf vegetables like kale but
not grass (leaves).

But isn't the cell wall made (mainly) of cellulose in green plants? I
always assumed that chewing the cud was just an additional stage in the
mechanical breakdown of cell walls, particularly for animals which
depend on the breakdown of cellulose for a good part of their
nutrition.It's an interesting point, though; would we be able to digest
more cellulose - in the absence of specific bacteria for that purpose -
if we chewed the green plants more thoroughly?

Certainly if it is raw, which is why the invention of cooking was so
important. But my point was that we don't get significant nutrition
from the cell walls, unlike cattle.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 4 Dec 2019 15:48, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
In article ,
Jeff Layman wrote:
On 04/12/19 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

We can digest cellulose to some extent, but it does vary between
individuals. Surprisingly, the older we are the more we can digest it!
https://gut.bmj.com/content/gutjnl/25/8/805.full.pdf

It's actually more whether we can break the cell walls that matters.
For some reason, we can do that for leaf vegetables like kale but
not grass (leaves).

To Jenny M Benson: try cavallo nero. Marrowfat kale (which I was fed
as a child) is fit only for cattle, but curly kale is OK and cavallo
nero is better.

I agree with Nick, cavalo nero is the best kale not that I'm that keen
on any.
Introduced some Bangladeshi friends to it and they love it.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On Wed, 04 Dec 2019 10:12:17 +0000, TimW wrote:

Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

TW

Have you considered a smoothie maker?

Blending the kale very finely should break most of the cell walls and make
it about as easy to digest as possible.


Cheers



Dave R


--
AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64

On 04/12/2019 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

TW

I am not a fan but was served with Kale salads on a couple of occasions
over in California - they were nots as bad as I expected!

--
Charlie Pridham
Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk

On 05/12/19 18:42, Charlie Pridham wrote:
On 04/12/2019 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale? or would we need four stomachs and
the ability to chew the cud? Should I blanche the leaves and refresh
them before shredding and dressing or go hardcore vegetarian and just
chew and chew?

TW

I am not a fan but was served with Kale salads on a couple of occasions
over in California - they were nots as bad as I expected!

That's the best example I've seen this year of "damning with faint praise"!

--

Jeff

On 04/12/2019 15:39, Jenny M Benson wrote:
On 04/12/2019 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale?[...]

Why any human being would actively WANT to eat kale I can't imagine.


I ate it and I am fine. You wouldn't want to eat very much raw, not for
pleasure anyway.
TW

On 05/12/2019 16:07, David wrote:
On Wed, 04 Dec 2019 10:12:17 +0000, TimW wrote:

Can a human being digest raw kale? [...]

Have you considered a smoothie maker?

Blending the kale very finely should break most of the cell walls and make
it about as easy to digest as possible.


That would be if you just felt you wanted to get it down you for health
reasons. I was planning to enjoy my dinner but was doubting that my
dinner would be enjoyable.

TW

In article , TimW wrote:
On 04/12/2019 15:39, Jenny M Benson wrote:
On 04/12/2019 10:12, TimW wrote:
Can a human being digest raw kale?[...]

Why any human being would actively WANT to eat kale I can't imagine.

I ate it and I am fine. You wouldn't want to eat very much raw, not for
pleasure anyway.

Agreed. But the better kales are very good when properly cooked,
which usually means lightly, but stilton and kale soup is very good,
too.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 06/12/2019 09:26, Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
the better kales are very good when properly cooked,
which usually means lightly, but stilton and kale soup is very good,
too.


Hmm. I will try it.

Kale, cream, and cheese pasta baked al forno, like a fancy macaroni
cheese is good.

TW