You may know spinach as the dark green leafy vegetable that can be found in most grocery stores, or you may remember spinach as Popeyes’ fuel. Popeye always had his spinach ready to consume, each bite giving him the superhuman strength he needed to defend Olive. Although the cartoon may have over exaggerated the effect of spinach, it is not too far from reality in that it does provide many health benefits making it a vegetable worth eating.
First let’s state the obvious there are many people that do not like spinach so what makes this vegetable worth eating? Spinach contains several nutrients like vitamin A, C, E, K, and several B vitamins like folic acid. In addition, it is a source for important minerals like iron and calcium. The combination of these vitamins and minerals makes spinach and other similar green leaf vegetables a great addition to our balanced diet since these vitamins and minerals are essential for our bodies. Vitamin A for example is essential for our eye health, helping with vision. While calcium is important for our bone health.
Vitamins and minerals are not the only benefits that come from spinach. Spinach also contains fiber and antioxidants. Fiber helps with digestion, helping to reduce issues like constipation. Antioxidants work to reduce the amount of toxins in our body thus helping the overall well being of our bodies.
Spinach provides all these great benefits but how can I incorporate it into my diet? Spinach is a very versatile vegetable in that it can be added raw or cooked to any dish. Raw spinach can be added to any salad or smoothie. Cooked spinach can be mixed into any pasta or added as a topping. It can also be included in breakfast dishes like scrambled eggs or omelets. Spinach also works as a great filling that can be used to stuff chicken or inside of an enchilada.
Now that we know all the key nutrients that spinach provides, we can see why Popeye was able to gain his superhuman strength. Thankfully we do not need to eat a can of spinach like Popeye to gain its benefits, we can easily include it in many of our favorite dishes. The many benefits and easy meal options make spinach a vegetable worth eating.
Sources:
Kumar, D., Kumar, S., & Shekhar, C. (2020). Nutritional components in green leafy vegetables: A review. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 9(5), 2498-2502.
Carazo, A., Macáková, K., Matoušová, K., Krčmová, L. K., Protti, M., & Mladěnka, P. (2021). Vitamin A update: forms, sources, kinetics, detection, function, deficiency, therapeutic use, and toxicity. Nutrients, 13(5), 1703.
Gill, S. K., Rossi, M., Bajka, B., & Whelan, K. (2021). Dietary fibre in gastrointestinal health and disease. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 18(2), 101-116.
By:
Jeanette Zazueta-Villa
Nutritionist and Dietetician`
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