10 Reasons You Should Fall In Love With Spinach.

In this article we will discuss the benefits of spinach, Type of spinach, Malabar spinach, red spinach, side effects of spinach, and fact about spinach and kidney stone.

Nutritional Facts of Spinach

In 100 Grams of Spinach

• Calories — 23 Kcal.
• Water — 91%
• Protein — 2.9 Grams
• Carbs — 3.6 Grams
• Sugar — 04 Grams
• Fiber — 2.2 Grams
• Fat — 0.4 Grams

Types of Spinach

Here are some varieties of spinach you will find at farmer’s markets and grocery stores nearby you.

Red spinach

This one is gaining popularity nowadays, it’s leaves are round with an attractive red center also thick and rich-green. The flavor of this lovely variety is deliciously sweet and succulent, tender and very tasty,

Baby spoon spinach

The baby spoon spinach is a savoy type spinach, Rich-green in color, but as its name shows it is smaller in size than regular savoy. Crispy and coarse, it is sweeter than the other larger variety. The tender small stems of this variety are also edible too.

Smooth- or flat-leaf spinach

With Flat and broad, spade-shaped leaves, smooth-leafed, these spinach varieties are easier to clean than savoy or even semi-savoy types. These qualities make it the first choice of commercial product manufacturers like canned and frozen spinach.

Why Spinach is So Important

Iron is a very important mineral for our bodies and when we don’t eat enough of it, we may get anemia associated with an iron deficiency. It’s a disease that normally makes people lose their appetite, feels tired, looks pale, loses their desire to work, and have difficulties learning. Did you know that cup of raw spinach can give you how much vitamin A? it’s complete your daily intake of vitamin A, and half of the vitamin C. but still you need to be careful when you eat spinach? Consume it in moderation, and don’t overdo it- especially with small children. for a better benefit from spinach, eat it raw or lightly steamed.

Fact about spinach and kidney stone

Spinach has a substance called oxalic acid, that keeps your body from absorbing iron, causing it to be eliminated through your bowel movements.and if it present in a large quantity in your blood then it should be the reason for the kidney stone, and some other disorders, especially in your liver. So anyone with kidney problems or rheumatoid arthritis should avoid consuming large quantities of this acid. one more thing, some nutritionists say that cooked spinach should not be stored consume it immediately, because if you keep it in the refrigerator, it may start to produce some toxic substances.

Benefits of Spinach

Eating spinach can be beneficial for eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels.

For Skin

The first health benefit we will be talking about is about the skin. Almost all leafy green vegetables loaded with protein antioxidants and spinach is also one of them, which are important for normal skin cell development and encourage a healthy skin tone. One other benefit of spinach for skin is to increase the production of collagen, which helps to strengthen the capillaries for a smoother even skin tone, reducing the wrinkles and fine lines. The presence of vitamin A in spinach can also help your skin stay moisture to fight against dryness, psoriasis, and even acne.

Anti Alceretive

Spinach acts as an anti-ulcerative. According to a paper titled, ‘Antiulcer Activity of Aqueous Extract of Spinach Oleracia in Rats’, published in the International Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistry, spinach and some other vegetables have the ability to protect the mucous membrane of the stomach, thereby decreasing the occurrence of gastric ulcers. One more thing, the glycoglycerolipids in spinach can boost the strength of the digestive tract lining, It prevents any unwanted inflammation in that part of your body.

Help in blood pressure

Spinach also benefits blood pressure. Spinach contains high amounts of nitrates, which have been shown to help moderate blood pressure levels and decrease the risk of heart disease. One randomized, controlled crossover trial of 27 people found that eating spinach effectively lowered blood pressure levels. Several other studies also indicate that spinach may help moderate blood pressure levels, which leads to improved heart health

Help in cancer

Spinach plays an important role in cancer prevention. Spinach contains two components, MGDG (monogalactosyldiacylglycerol) and SQDG (sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol), which may slow down cancer growth. In one study, these compounds helped slow tumor growth in a human’s cervix. They also decreased the size of the tumor. Several human studies link spinach consumption to a reduced risk of prostate cancer. Eating this leafy green may also help prevent breast cancer. Another animal study supports this claim. Its findings indicate that spinach might help suppress cancer formation. Additionally, spinach contains high amounts of antioxidants, which may also aid in cancer prevention

Prevent oxidative damage

The last health benefit of spinach we will be talking about is that spinach helps to prevent oxidative damage. Free radicals are byproducts of metabolism. They can cause oxidative stress, which triggers accelerated aging. This also increases the risk of cancer and diabetes. Moreover, spinach contains antioxidants, which fight oxidative stress and help reduce the damage it causes. One controlled trial on 8 healthy people found that spinach helped prevent oxidative damage. The study mentioned above is very small, the findings are backed up by some other animal and human studies.

Malabar Spinach (Bassela)

Bassela alba it’s also known as various common names like Malabar spinach, Vine Spinach, Cylon Spinach, etc. Let’s see the nutritional facts.

Nutritional facts of Malabar Spinach

• In 100 Grams of Malabar Spinach
• Calories — 19 kcal
• Carbs — 3.4 Gram
• Fat — 0.3 Gram
• Protein — 1.8 Gram
• vitamin A — 400 Micro Grams
• Vitamine B6–0.24 mg
• Vitamine C — 102 mg
• Calcium — 109 mg
• Iron — 1.2 mg
• Magnesium — 65 mg
• manganese — 0.735 mg
• Posphorus — 52 mg
• Potassium -510 mg
• zinc — 0.43 mg

Nutritional fact source Wikipedia

The best thing about Malabar spinach is you can easily grow them in your kitchen garden they are also considered as an ornamental plant it is a vine and very to grow a plant. and as you have seen in nutritional facts is almost the same as spinach taste also same.

Spinach recipes Indian

Here in India spinach is very widely used and we have tasted many such recipes from our childhood, like palak paneer, palak ki puri, palak pakora, palak pulao, etc. these are very tasty and if you cook them in a healthy way then I have already discussed health benefits.

That's it for this article. Thank you for reading do comment if you have any query.

Originally published at https://lovingfoods.in.