This week, it’s spinach health benefits from Kat’s Kitchen.
Spinach belongs to the same family as chard and beets and shares a similar taste profile with them. There are 3 different types of spinach. Savoy has crisp, creased dark green leaves whilst the semi-savoy variety whilst similar in texture to the savoy has less crinkly leaves. The smooth leaf variety is the most common and has flat, unwrinkled, ‘spade-shaped’ leaves.
Spinach is originally from Southwestern Asia where it was a wild plant. It has been cultivated in China for at least 2,000 years. It has been used as an important medicinal plant in many traditional forms of medicine.
Spinach has cultivated a bit of a reputation for its potential health benefits – remember it was alleged to be the source of Popeye’s strength! There are however good reasons for this reputation. Spinach contains twice as much iron as other greens which supports energy, vitality and assists with the quality of blood.
Spinach Health Benefits
A single cup of spinach has only 41 calories yet is extremely nutrient-dense. it is an excellent source of Vitamin K, carotenes, Vitamin C and folic acid. It is also a very good source of the chemical elements manganese, magnesium and iron.
Here are a few nutritional reasons to include spinach in your diet:
- Spinach is the most alkaline-producing food which helps regulate and support the body pH
- It is one of the richest dietary sources of lutein which promotes healthy eye-sight and prevents macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Like other chlorophyll and carotene containing vegetables, spinach is a strong protector against cancer. Research has shown that spinach extracts have slowed cell division in human stomach cancer cells. Studies have also shown the higher the intake of spinach the lower the incidence of breast cancer.
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