5 surprising reasons and tips why you should eat spinach

Garlic Spinach photographed by Susan Wong (Kenya, 2011)

We’ve all heard it before: spinach is good for you.  One of my early food memories includes my grandmother forcing some sautéed spinach on to my plate.  Truth is spinach isn’t that bad, actually on the contrary, quite delicious.

Packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients; spinach is great no matter what stage of life you’re in.

Here are 5 surprising tips about spinach:

1) There’s a compound in spinach called oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. An easy way to solve this problem is to pair spinach with a food high in vitamin C. Mandarin oranges and cantaloupes spring to mind here. Another way to reduce the power of oxalic acid is to boil the spinach leaves for at least two minutes.
2) Everyone talks about the benefits of spinach in nourishing the eyes and building bones. What few know is that it also very good for digestion. Spinach eases constipation and protects the mucus lining of the stomach, so that you stay free of ulcers.  It also flushes out toxins from the colon.

3) Folate is also found in spinach. In pregnant women, it  is essential for the growing foetus to ensure proper development of the nervous system.

4) Another lesser known benefit of spinach is its role in skin care. The bounty of vitamins and minerals in spinach can bring you quick relief from dry, itchy skin and lavish you with a radiant complexion. Regular consumption of fresh, organic spinach juice has been shown to improve skin health dramatically.

5) The passing years may also present a large percentage of the population with atherosclerosis, a  hardening of arteries. Lutein found in spinach has been shown to reduce the occurrence of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and  stroke as spinach proteins help reduce the cholesterol in the blood vessels.
Source: Care2.com

 

 

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