The leafy green vegetable Spinach
is one of the richest sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, which in turns
make it a super food and a health friendly choice for us. Spinach is a native
vegetable of Asian subcontinent however; it is now found and praised almost
everywhere in the world. During the older times, people not only use spinach as
a food source but also use it as a medicinal plant for the treatment of wide
varieties of health disorders as well. Spinach contains everything from vitamin
and minerals to protein and dietary fiber; following is the brief description
about the contents of spinach.
Vitamins
Spinach is a very rich source of
Vitamins that are an essential part of our daily dietary intake. The vitamins found
in spinach includes vitamin K, vitamin B12, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin D,
vitamin C and vitamin A moreover it contains betaine, niacin, riboflavin,
thiamin and folate as well. A one serving (one cup) of spinach contain 0.42 mg
of vitamin B6, 16.50 mg of vitamin C, o.16 mg of vitamin B1, 3.4 mg of vitamin
E.
Minerals
Spinach is a mineral rich vegetable
and therefore often advised by doctors to consume spinach regularly. The
minerals found in spinach includes Copper, Selenium, manganese, Zinc, Magnesium,
Sodium, potassium, Iron, Phosphorus and Calcium. The sodium contents of spinach per serving is
78 mg approximately while iron content is 0.8 mg. Moreover, one cup of spinach
contains 165 mg of potassium, 0.2 mg of zinc, 29 mg of calcium, 23 mg of
magnesium and 14.5 mg of phosphorus. Moreover, spinach also contains Omega-3
fatty acid and dietary fiber as well.
Protein
Proteins performs various works on our body like
participating in chemical reactions within our body, giving structures to our
body cells, helps in proper growth & development and helps in repairing and
making new cells. Taking spinach in your diet helps in fulfilling your daily
intake of proteins Spinach’s protein content depends on how it is prepared
along with its types. According to a calorie monitoring lab, New Zealand
spinach and regular spinach has 1 grams of protein in one cup but on the other
hand raw mustered spinach has 3.3g of protein. Protein contents in Malabar
spinach when cooked is 3.1g in single cup while protein contents in New Zealand
spinach when cooked is 2.3g. The highest contents of protein is in canned and
frozen spinach which is 7.6 in cooked frozen spinach and 6g in canned spinach
in a cup.
How to use spinach
Using spinach for consumption purpose is solely depends on
your will, you can use it in whatever way you
Health benefits
Spinach is one of some very rare foods that falls under
versatile food category. A versatile food is that food which you can consume
with almost anything such as with any vegetables, meat or even with fruit
salad. You have already read about the nutritional richness of spinach in the
above paragraphs and therefore you can easily imagine its benefits regarding
your health. Various other benefits of spinach include:
·
Spinach
is also useful in enhancing your eyesight and sharpening your mind.
·
Spinach contains various medicinal
capabilities including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties therefore
useful in health problems like asthma, joint pain, muscular pain and headache
as well.
·
It
is very effective in killing cancer cells due to its antioxidant capability.
·
Spinach
is also effective in controlling blood pressure, stress and depression.
·
Spinach
helps in strengthening the bone because of vitamin K found in it.
·
Spinach
is good for digestion and healthy skin as well
Remember:
As you know that excessive use of
anything is harmful for health and it applies to spinach as well, therefore it
is important to use spinach in proportionate amount to enjoy and avail its
benefits
Ismail.
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