Spinach

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions.

History Of Spinach

Spinach Nutrition Info

Spinach is an excellent source of iron, calcium, chlorophyll, beta carotene (needed for the production of vitamin A), vitamin C, riboflavin, sodium and potassium. The sulphur content of spinach helps to clean the liver, and its vitamin A content can help prevent night blindness. Spinach has a high calcium content, however the oxalate content in spinach binds with calcium decreasing its absorption.

Spinach Health Benefits

In popular folklore, spinach is a rich source of iron. In reality, a 60 gram serving of boiled spinach contains around 1.9 mg of iron -- many green vegetables contain less than 1 mg of iron for an equivalent serving -- hence spinach does contain a relatively high level of iron for a vegetable, but its consumption does not have special health connotations as folklore might suggest.

However, researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as as anti-cancer agents -- many of these substances are flavonoids known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides -- the anticancer properties of which have been sufficiently impressive to prompt creation of specialized spinach extracts that could be used in controlled studies. These spinach extracts have been shown to slow down cell division in stomach cancer cells (gastric adenocarcinomas), and in studies on mice, to reduce skin cancers (skin papillomas).

Storing Spinach

Avoid washing spinach before storing -- if spinach is already bagged leave it in packaging, if spinach is loose place it in a plastic bag. Fresh spinach loses much of its nutritional value with storage of more than a few days. While refrigeration slows this effect to about eight days, spinach will lose most of its folate and carotenoid content, so for longer storage it is frozen, cooked and frozen, or canned. Storage in the freezer can be for up to eight months

Spinach Trivia

Popeye the Sailor has a strong affinity for spinach, becoming much stronger after consuming it. This is partially due to the iron content being mistakenly reported ten times the actual value, a value that was unchecked during the 1930s.

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