Are Kale Chips High in Fat?

Kale chips from stores may contain more fat than homemade recipes. For example, a 28-gram bag of store-bought kale chips has 10 g of fat ( 8 ). On the other hand, a serving of homemade air fryer kale chips has 4.5 g of fat ( 1 ). Also, an oven-baked recipe has 6 g of fat ( 11 ). Making your own kale chips will decrease the fat, or buying from a store will likely increase the fat on keto.

Is Kale Healthier Raw or Cooked?

Raw kale is nutritionally denser than its cooked counterpart. Spanish researchers compared five cooking methods to raw kale to see which would maintain the nutrients better ( 5 ). All of the cooking methods reduced the natural antioxidants and flavonoids in kale. However, steaming reduced it less than other methods. Raw kale is bitter, so steaming it may help you eat more. If you want to use other cooking methods, don’t worry – it’s still a very nutritionally dense vegetable, regardless of the cooking method.

Is It OK to Eat Raw Kale?

You can eat kale raw or cooked in a variety of different ways. The best way to eat kale is to welcome the best of both worlds. Eat some raw kale in morning smoothies or a salad and crispy kale chips as a snack. However, the Mayo Clinic warns that you may need to limit kale if you have kidney stones or while taking blood-thinning medications ( 10 ).

The Mayo Clinic boasts about kale being a superfood dense in the nutrition you need ( 10 ). The vegetable has vitamins A, B6, C, K, folate, fiber, carotenoids, and manganese, and only 20 calories per raw cup of kale. It may help support your immune system, improve blood pressure, and reduce cancer risk.