Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary

The Dr. Gundry Podcast

Episode: What Happens if You Eat Kale Everyday For 30 Days – Dr. G's Quick Health Tip | EP 378.B
Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Dr. Steven Gundry

Episode Overview

In this quick health tip episode, Dr. Steven Gundry dives deep into the question: what would really happen if you ate kale every day for 30 days? Using his medical expertise and personal anecdotes, Dr. Gundry explores kale's nutritional benefits and potential pitfalls, especially for those with sensitive guts or thyroid issues. The episode offers practical advice on safely incorporating kale (and other cruciferous vegetables) into your diet, with a strong emphasis on individualized health needs.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kale: The Controversial Superfood

[01:05]–[02:30]

Kale is both lauded and criticized in the nutrition world.
- Some, like Dave Asprey, avoid it due to its capacity to accumulate heavy metals (thallium, cadmium).
- Kale is also high in oxalates, contributing to the debate.

2. Understanding Oxalates and Gut Bacteria

[02:30]–[04:15]

Oxalates are part of a plant’s defense system and can cause issues such as pain or kidney stones in sensitive individuals.
- Dr. Gundry explains:
“When you look at people who are sensitive to oxalates or who actually have calcium oxalate kidney stones, those individuals lack those oxalate-eating bacteria. So it's not the oxalates that are the actual problem.” (03:10)
Many issues stem from a compromised gut microbiome and the loss of protective bacteria.
- Healing leaky gut often allows patients to tolerate kale and other oxalate-rich foods again.

3. The Parable of Bitterness and Toxins

[04:15]–[05:40]

Dr. Gundry discusses the evolutionary role of bitter compounds:
- Bitter plants like kale warn predators with their taste, which is a sign of plant toxins.
- Quote:
“More bitter, more better. But that bitterness comes at a price. The dose makes the poison, as Pericles was wont to say.” (04:45)

Personal Kale Story

Dr. Gundry shares a cautionary personal anecdote:

"My wife decided that we were going to do kale smoothies...with nothing but kale in it. I drank my kale smoothie on the way to work...within a half an hour I was sitting on the toilet with blowout diarrhea." (05:15)
- He attributes this to the blending process, which releases all the plant toxins at once.

4. Kale and Digestive Sensitivities

[06:37]–[07:25]

Patients with IBS, leaky gut, or general digestive sensitivities are often intolerant to dark green leafy vegetables.
Dr. Gundry’s advice:

“For my patients like that, I make them cook kale or spinach or broccoli or arugula down to mush. And even then, some of them can’t tolerate it.” (07:00)
- Raw or highly blended kale is a "no-go" for these populations.
- 30 days of kale is not advised for anyone with sensitive guts.

5. The Benefits and Caveats of Cruciferous Vegetables

[07:25]–[08:45]

Cruciferous vegetables like kale provide sulfur compounds essential for the body, especially for hydrogen sulfide production.
Hydrogen sulfide, despite its bad smell, plays protective roles in blood vessels, as an anticancer agent, and for brain health when consumed in moderation.
- Quote:
"We now know that a little dab will do you and there's a Goldilocks effect..." (08:10)

6. Kale and Thyroid Function

[08:45]–[10:10]

Overconsumption of cruciferous vegetables can suppress thyroid function in some individuals.
- This isn't autoimmune (not Hashimoto’s) but shows up as a gradual rise in TSH levels.
- On moderating intake:
  
  “Can we back off before the next blood test and see what happens? And sure enough, in all of those patients, it was their love and thinking of cruciferous vegetables that was actually suppressing their thyroid.” (09:45)
Recommendation: Experiment with frequency and monitor thyroid function if concerned.

7. Dr. Gundry’s Takeaway: Should You Eat Kale Every Day?

[10:10]–[10:32]

Individuals with gut issues or thyroid problems should avoid daily consumption of kale.
Aim for balance:

“You need to find that sweet spot...Maybe every other day, maybe on the weekends. Experiment.” (10:20)
- He encourages personal experimentation and blood testing to find what works.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“It’s not the oxalates that are the actual problem. The problem...is we lack the defense system against these plant compounds that we used to have.” (03:10)
“More bitter, more better. But that bitterness comes at a price. The dose makes the poison, as Pericles was wont to say.” (04:45)
“Within a half an hour I was sitting on the toilet with blowout diarrhea and I go, what the heck?” (05:25)
“For my patients like that, I make them cook kale or spinach or broccoli or arugula down to mush. And even then, some of them can’t tolerate it.” (07:00)
“[Hydrogen sulfide has] a Goldilocks effect of being very good for your blood vessels...very good as an anti-cancer agent...very good for your brain.” (08:10)
“[With high cruciferous consumption]...their TSH starts creeping up. So when I ask them, are you eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables? ... I go, whoa, I think you're eating too much of this.” (09:10)
“Eat kale for two months, repeat your thyroid function test and see where you are.” (10:27)

Conclusion & Practical Guidance

If you have digestive or thyroid issues: Eating kale daily is not advised. Listen to your body and test your response.
For everyone else:
- Consider kale as a beneficial, nutrient-rich food—in moderation.
- Rotate cruciferous vegetables, avoid excess, and monitor for any health changes.
- Experimentation is key: “Find your sweet spot.”

Relevant Timestamps:

[01:05] – Introduction to kale’s controversies
[02:30] – Oxalates and gut bacteria
[04:15] – Bitterness, toxins, and plant defense
[05:15] – Dr. Gundry’s personal kale story
[06:37] – Kale and digestive sensitivities
[07:25] – Benefits of cruciferous vegetables
[08:45] – Kale’s effect on thyroid function
[10:10] – Final practical advice

This summary skips promotional, introductory, and non-content sections to focus on Dr. Gundry’s core insights.

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Transcript12 lines

[00:01]
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[00:41]
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Welcome to the Dr. Gundry podcast, where Dr. Steven Gundry shares his groundbreaking research from over 25 years of treating patients with diet and lifestyle changes alone. Dr. Gundry and other wellness experts offer inspiring stories, the latest scientific advancements, and practical tips to empower you to take control of your health and live a long, happy life.
[01:05]
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Okay, this is another one of my fun filled what would happen if I eat this for 30 days in a row? And today I'm going to take up kale. Now kale is one of those controversial foods. Some people love it, some people hate it. My good friend Dave Asprey hates kale now. It accumulates thallium more than just about any plant. I've seen it accumulate cadmium as well, another heavy metal. So that's why he hates kale. And for you oxalate haters out there, kale actually has a lot of oxalates. So let's talk about oxalates first. Oxalates are part of the plant defense system against being eaten. And oxalates in people who believe they are sensitive to oxalates can cause pain, can cause kidney stones, can cause kidney damage. And there's even books out there saying that most of the pain that you have in your life are from oxalates. Well, not so fast. Believe it or not, we used to have a beautiful defense system against plant defense compounds like oxalates and like lectins. We used to have lectin eating bacteria. For instance, there are bacteria that love to eat gluten and in fact there are bacteria that love to eat oxalates. When you look at people who are sensitive to oxalates or or who actually have calcium oxalate kidney stones, those individuals lack those oxalate eating bacteria. So it's not the oxalates that are the actual problem. The problem, like I write about in all my books, is we lack the defense system against these plant compounds that we used to have, that we could tolerate these plant compounds. And they're part of the seven deadly disruptors that I've written about in the past. And interestingly enough, many of my patients who are oxalate sensitive when they start, once we fix their gut microbiome and once we fix their leaky gut, they can have all the oxalate containing foods that they want. Now let me tell you an interesting story about kale. All of these plants, particularly the bitter plants like kale, are loaded with compounds to warn their predator. Be careful about eating me because you're not going to feel very good after you eat meat. And kale happens to be one of those compounds. Interestingly enough, if you look at long lived people in general, they eat a lot of bitter compounds. And one of my sayings you may know is more bitter, more better. But that bitterness comes at a price. The dose makes the poison, as Pericles was wont to say. And that's true. A little dab will do you. So let me tell you my personal kale story. Years ago we bought a nutribullet and my wife decided that we were going to do kale smoothies. And so she made me a kale smoothie with nothing but kale in it. And I drank my kale smoothie on the way to work. And quite frankly, within a half an hour I was sitting on the toilet with blowout diarrhea and I go, what the heck? Well, what had happened was that if I ate kale, it would take hours for that kale to be broken down, for my bacteria to digest the cell wall of kale and I would be exposed little by little to these toxins in kale. Instead, my wife, bless her heart, had broken down every cell wall and and expose me to a massive instantaneous dose of kale toxins. Thanks a lot. We don't do that anymore.
[05:41]
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[06:37]
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Now, the point is, I have obviously a number of people who have ibs, have leaky gut, have intestinal issues, and one of the things I found through the years is that they are very intolerant of dark green leafy vegetables for that very reason. And so for my patients like that, I make them cook kale or spinach or broccoli or arugula down to mush. And even then, some of them can't tolerate it. So if you're one of those people with a sensitive stomach with IBS, with loose bowels, then kale for 30 days is not for you and you will not do well. Now, on the other hand, the cruciferous vegetables in general are great sources of sulfur containing compounds. And sulfur in our diet is incredibly useful for making another postbiotic called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is the rotten egg smell. Now, we used to think it was toxic, and it's true. High doses of hydrogen sulfide are very damaging. But we now know that a little dab will do you and that there's a goldilocks effect of hydrogen sulfide in being very good for your blood vessels, in being very good as an anti cancer agent, and also being very good for your brain. So I'm a big fan of these cruciferous vegetables in moderate amounts. Now, the third thing that I've noticed in my patients who really go crazy for cruciferous vegetables or kale, which is a cruciferous vegetable, is that some of them, not most of them, but some of them, begin to suppress their thyroid, thyroid function. Now, this is different than Hashimoto's thyroiditis. What we do see in those patients is a gradual rise in one of the markers of thyroid function called TSH, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. Now, their levels of free T4 and free T3 remain normal, but their TSH starts creeping up. So when I ask them, are you eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables? Oh, yeah, we have cauliflower and cauliflower rice and cauliflower, pizza and broccoli, and we have arugula in our salad and we have cabbage and we have kimchi, I go, whoa, I think you're eating too much of this. Can we back off before the next blood test and see what happens? And sure enough, in all of those patients, it was their love and thinking of cruciferous vegetables that was actually suppressing their thyroid. So what would happen if you had kale for 30 days in a row. If you've got gut issues, you'll find out fairly quickly. If you already suffer from a low thyroid, it's probably not a good idea. You need to find that sweet spot with cruciferous vegetables. Maybe every other day, maybe on the weekends. Experiment. If you really want to find out, get yourself thyroid function tests. They're cheap to do. Eat kale for two months, repeat your thyroid function test and see where you are.
[10:32]
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[10:58]
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[11:04]
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I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone's life when you take the time to share it with them. There's also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let's do this together.