17 June 2015

Spinach : A Super food


Spinach
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
Frozen spinach
like and with whatever you like however if you add spinach with other foods, you can have balanced nutritious meal. While grilling tofu or meat, adding brown rice and spinach salad will give you a complete meal. Spinach with whole grain pasta and other vegetables with olive oil can be other options too. You can use spinach in various forms like fresh spinach, frozen or in canned spinach; you can add spinach in salads, soups and in sandwiches or stir-fries as well.  

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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