Spinach is said to have come from Persia. It would first have been cultivated regularly when the Graeco-Roman civilization was at its height.
It was in 1929 that the cartoon ‘Popeye’ was first screened displaying a sailor-man who consumed spinach by the tin-full, and got instant and spectacular muscle boosts from it. However, the idea that spinach contains enormous amounts of iron, good for building healthy blood and a strong body, is ill-founded. Funnily enough, it was due to the mistake of a researcher who placed the decimal point in the wrong place when analyzing spinach, and therefore concluded inaccurate iron content. That does not matter, however, as spinach have plenty more to offer as outlined below.
In fact, when compared calorie for calorie to other vegetables, nothing is as nutrient dense as spinach. Spinach nutrition isn’t just about the vitamins and minerals found within its leafy, green exterior.
Spinach still has a large nutritional value, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. To be sure, it is loaded with such antioxidants as Vitamins A, C, E, K, B1, B6, minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, and so much more.
Recently, opioid peptides called rubiscolins have also been found in spinach. It is a source of folic acid (Vitamin B9), and this vitamin was first purified from spinach. To benefit from the folate in spinach, it is better to steam it than to boil it. Boiling spinach for four minutes can halve the level of folate.
But, more than this, the major healthy properties of spinach are attributed to special substances it contains. For example, research has shown that spinach is packed with over a dozen phytonutrients. These phytonutrients are potent substances that have properties that can fight cancer. More and more, a substance called homocysteine is believed to be just as an important marker of heart disease and high levels are also associated with elevated risks of stroke. However, one of the components of spinach nutrition is folate. Folate can help neutralize harmful homocysteine.
The incidence of breast cancer may also be cut with the consumption of spinach by women. For men, prostate cancer risk may be slashed because of a carotenoid substance spinach contains called neoxanthin.
Do you suffer from arthritis? You’ll be glad to know that one of the healthy properties of spinach is that it harbors anti-inflammatory nutrients.
For the millions of people who are concerned about cardiovascular health, the healthy effects of spinach are promising due to its free radical fighting antioxidants.
Are you worried about macular degeneration and other common eye diseases people get as they age? Spinach has lutein, which is a nutrient that has been extensively shown in Government studies to protect against not only macular degeneration but also cataracts.To get optimal spinach nutrition, you should thoroughly wash it and eat it raw. It works well in salads. Many dishes are prepared on a bed of spinach.
In culinary terms, this is referred to as “a la Florentine.” If you cook it, try to cook it lightly to preserve most of its beneficial spinach nutrition.
Written by Dr Syed Muneeb Younus
muneebkazi@gmail.com