Spinach. The leafy green is packed with nutrients, but you'll absorb more calcium and iron if you eat it cooked. The reason: Spinach is loaded with oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of iron and calcium but breaks down under high temperatures.
Studies have found that eating cooked spinach and carrots – versus raw – results in much higher blood levels of beta-carotene, an antioxidant thought to guard against heart disease and lung cancer.” Raw spinach also contains oxalic acid, an organic compound found in many leafy green plants, including spinach.
Raw spinach provides a lot of fiber, but cooked spinach may provide more beta carotene: One study found that three times as much beta carotene — an antioxidant that's a form of vitamin A — was absorbed from cooked spinach compared with raw spinach.
Highlights. Spinach is a green leafy vegetable that we all know to be really healthy, due to the presence of high levels of antioxidants in it. However, the best way to eat spinach is not after blanching or boiling it, but rather adding it to your smoothies or juicing it, says a new study.
Baby spinach has a decent amount of potassium, which is good for heart health. Many studies link potassium with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of stroke and heart disease. The nitrates in baby spinach also help to keep your blood pressure under control, which can help improve heart health.
What's bad about spinach? If you eat spinach every day in excessive amounts (more than a bowl) there can be adverse health effects. Most commonly these include gas, bloating and cramps due to its high fiber content. Eating too much spinach can also interfere with the body's ability to absorb nutrients.
A Handful a Day
A large handful (100g) of raw spinach provides a host of nutrients. These include vitamin A which promotes healthy, clear skin and vision; vitamin C which aids the growth of healthy connective tissue and folate which contributes to a healthy immune system.
When eaten in moderation, spinach helps in reducing the risks of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and cancer. Although it is safe for most people to eat a bowl of spinach per day, you should be careful to eat it in moderation. Spinach is a dark leafy green crop with an impressive nutrient profile.
While incorporating spinach into raw and cooked dishes can help maximize its health benefits, some research shows that not cooking the greens preserves its lutein content. So, it's important to consume spinach raw for maximum lutein intake.
Public health agencies recommend eating at least nine servings of vegetables and fruits a day. Eating spinach at least once a week will help you reach that goal. Harvard University notes a diet rich in dark green vegetables, as well as red, orange and yellow ones, provides the right mix of nutrients for good health.
But spinach has consistently retained its top rank as the superfood to beat all others because it is so dense in nutrients and healthy compounds. Eating spinach daily is linked to lower risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer, three of our nation's greatest chronic diseases.
These dark green leaves are delicate enough for salads but hardy enough to be cooked, and can be sautéed or stir-fried, layered into lasagna or simmered in sauces, soups and stews. There's no trimming or prep required and tender baby spinach cooks quickly, wilting into almost any dish you add it to.
When you eat spinach that has been cooked, not only can you eat more because it shrinks down, but your body can absorb higher levels of the vitamins it contains such as A and E, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron, plus carotenoids such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Raw spinach is the most nutritious form of spinach, although it contains a high concentration of oxalic acid, which can cause digestive and absorptive issues. Boiling spinach reduces the oxalic acid content, but it also leads to loss of nutrients and texture.
Because many of spinach's nutrients, including vitamin C, folate, B vitamins and thiamin, are water soluble, spinach loses a large portion of its nutrients when it is boiled or steamed.
Strengthens the Immune System
Spinach has vitamins and minerals like vitamin E and magnesium that support your immune system. This system keeps you safe from viruses and bacteria that cause disease. It also defends your body from other things that can hurt you, like toxins.
The good news is that eaten in moderation spinach provides nothing but positive health benefits. Although it's difficult to find authoritative limits for spinach consumption on a daily or weekly basis, MedicineNet confirms that a bowl a day, a moderate amount, is safe for most people.
One-half cup of spinach contains 78 milligrams of magnesium for 19% of the DV. When you eat spinach, you get significant anti-inflammatory benefits. You also get a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals.
It can be said that between the two vegetables, spinach is said to be healthier than broccoli as it has high water content, a lesser amount of sugars and is richer in protein, magnesium, Vitamin E, manganese and potassium as compared to broccoli.
If you are planning to reduce your weight, then it is advised that you add spinach onto your weight loss diet and this will do you good. Spinach leaves aids in weight loss and also are low in calories. Its high amounts of fibre content also help in good digestion, regulate low blood sugar and prevent constipation.
According to Texas A&M Extension's website, spinach has twice as much potassium, protein, calcium, iron, niacin and vitamins A, C, B, C and B-12 as any other leaf vegetable. Spinach also contains more fiber and minerals including magnesium, phosphorus and potassium than any of the four lettuce types.
Baby Spinach is Just as Healthy as Mature Leaf Spinach. Some people prefer the tender, baby spinach leaves for salads and reserve the larger, sturdier leaves for cooking. The good news is research shows they are both are high in nutrients.
The general rule of thumb is that a one-half cup of vegetables or one cup of green leafy vegetables equals a serving.