Things to know about spinach
January 31st, 2008
We have been eating a lot of spinach lately as an alternative to the usual salad greens like lettuce.
I just love the rich contrast in colors when mixed in with other salad vegetables plus it’s really good for you.
I decided to find out what health benefits I’m gaining from including spinach in my diet and must say that it was a pleasant surprise.
We all know that Popeye ate vast quantities of spinach to make him strong but did you know that spinach also protects against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases?
Researchers have also found that spinach helps fight prostate cancer and reduces the risk of developing ovarian cancer by 40%.
Spinach is also a rich source of vitamin K which is great for keeping your bones strong. You will get around 200% of vitamin K per cup of fresh spinach or about 1000% per cup of boiled spinach, pretty amazing!
If that isn’t enough to convince you to start including spinach in your diet, chew (sorry about that) on this:
Spinach promotes Gastrointestinal Health, provides Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients, reduces the effects of age related decline in brain function, helps prevent eye disease, excellent source of iron and best of all, it’s fat free.
So go online and find some recipes that use spinach, I bet you will be pleasantly surprised at just how versatile spinach is. You might also want to try this recipe I posted about recently:
February 5th, 2008 at 1:11 am
Just want to point out a downside for some people of eating spinach and other dark, leafy greens. If you are taking blood thinners, you must be very careful because vitamin k thickens your blood. Ask your doc about specifics for you, such as what to eat that thins the blood (such as certain fruits) to even out the two effects for safety.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Hi Judy,
Thanks for pointing this out.
My Nan is on blood thinners and she has to avoid dark leafy greens so speaking to your doctor first is very important.
Thanks again Judy
Sally