This week’s vegetable has dark green leaves and a firm stem which would make it beautiful in a floral arrangement, but if that’s what you chose to do with your kale you’d be missing out on a great opportunity to protect your body from cancer.There are a few varieties farmers grow here the flat leaf and also the curly leaf kale. It doesn’t matter which variety you chose to eat as long as you cook it. Even just steaming it for five minutes makes it fabulous and the nutrient content more readily available to your body.Every other week Body & Soul highlights an in-season produce item.This week’s focus is kale.Scientific name: brassica oleraceaFamily of: BrassicaceaeRelated to: rutabaga and cabbageGrown: in BermudaVitamin content: excellent source of K, A, and C, a very good source of B6, and a good source of E, B2, B1, folate and B3Mineral content: excellent source of manganese, very good source of copper and potassium, and a good source of iron, magnesium and phosphorusDietary fibre: a very good source with about 2.6 grams in one cup of the boiled vegetableOmega 3 fatty acids: A good source with about .13 grams in one cup of the boiled vegetableCalories: One cup of boiled kale equals 36.40 caloriesGood for: an excellent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. The combination of these means it also has cancer-preventing properties.This is because without antioxidants, cells of the body would go into oxidative stress and without anti-inflammatory nutrients chronic inflammation would occur.These two conditions together are risk factors for the development of cancer. Research studies show that kale provides protection against bladder, breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer. In some cases benefits are also seen with kale used as treatment.The cancer benefits are directly linked to the high concentration of flavonoids and carotenoids both antioxidants. At least 45 different types of flavonoids have been found in the vegetable. It is believed that this wide array is key to the vegetable’s strength in cancer prevention.Kale also has cholesterol-lowering properties and as such is healthy for the heart and cardiovascular system.It does this by binding with compounds in the body that would otherwise work on ingested fat, readying it to be absorbed by the body. When kale binds with these compounds they do not get a chance to work on the ingested fat, and instead move through the intestine and are excreted.When this happens, the liver has to replace these compounds and breaks down cholesterol to do so. Kale is also a natural detoxifier for the body.How to judge ripeness: Use firm dark green leaves with firm stems. Smaller leaves will be more tender and have a milder flavour than large ones.Kale keeps well in the refrigerator for about five days. Store in an airtight container. Experts advise against washing it before storage as this leads to leads to spoilage.