I stumbled across a site dedicated to lutein (which is also linked on Matt’s blog in some of his lutein and anti-aging discussions). I first want to note that while kale and spinach are the 2 best sources for lutein, the spinach needs to be cooked in order to adsorb the vast majority of it. Kale can be raw or cooked with only a slight change in lutein adsorption, and raw kale actually has a higher lutein content. One shake a day with all the kale should be enough to take care of my lutein needs though, and spinach makes for a yummy salad.

So, I am changing my green shake into a kale shake, and will try and include spinach in cooked dishes if I want it for the lutein content. The lutein content increases to 27.7mg from 18.2mg, but remember that maybe 1/3 of that 18.2mg wasn’t able to be adsorbed. My actual lutein intake approximately doubled just from changing out the spinach for additional kale. Wow.

I would recommend reading though the Lutein Information Bureau’s site because they provide nice overviews of lutein’s health benefits which include: eyes, skin, cardiovascular, and female specific issues.

This table of lutein sources is taken from their website.