It’s a splendid day to learn about the many health benefits of spinach.
The common spinach is a green leafy vegetable that’s popularized to children because of the cartoon show, Popeye the Sailorman.
Its scientific name is Spinacia oleracea.
This is my list of the health benefits of spinach.
1. Spinach Is A Very Good Source Of Vitamins And Minerals
Eating raw spinach is especially beneficial when it comes to your daily nutrient needs.
It’s a very good source of vitamin B9 and K for your daily needs. Other vitamins you can get are vitamin A, B1, b2, B3, B6, C, and E.
For your daily mineral needs, you should get calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc.
It’s also a source of dietary fiber and some proteins.
2. May Help With Weight Loss
If you want to lose weight, most will suggest eating more green leafy vegetables in exchange for junk foods.
Spinach is a good addition to your daily diet if you’re trying to shed some weight.
It is a good source of dietary fiber and contains some protein which can help reduce some of the high-calorie meats you eat.
3. Spinach Supports Eye Health
Eating spinach regularly can help reduce your risks or delay age-related macular degeneration or AMD.
AMD causes blurred vision which in some cases may make it hard for you to recognize faces and read.
Spinach is considered to be rich in lutein which is helpful with the health of the eyes.
A study (Effects of Constant Intake of Lutein-rich Spinach on Macular Pigment Optical Density) is conducted in Japan to back this up.
4. May Help Boost Your Immunity
The vitamins and minerals like vitamin A and C in spinach are excellent in boosting your body’s immune system.
To add more, it’s rich in antioxidants that help reduce the risks or even prevent certain chronic diseases.
5. Spinach Is Rich In Antioxidants
Besides the vitamins and minerals that can act as antioxidants in the body, spinach also contains kaempferol, flavonoids, and quercetin.
These help in disease protection and inflammations caused by free radicals in the body.
Researchers say that a good amount of antioxidants in the body can help reduce the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.
Several studies like this (Antioxidant Effects of Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) Supplementation in Hyperlipidemic Rats) show that spinach contains antioxidants that could help keep your body healthy.
6. Is Good For Your Hair And Skin
The antioxidants in spinach can contribute to the health of your skin.
It can delay the signs of aging that are caused by oxidative damage in your skin.
Spinach is even made into a paste and used as an ingredient for making a face mask that can prevent or treat acne.
As for your hair, the iron in spinach makes it excellent in making sure that there’s enough production of red blood cells that carry oxygen and nutrients to different organs in your body. This includes the ones responsible for your hair growth.
7. Spinach Is Good For Your Bones
We’ve mentioned earlier that spinach is very rich in vitamin K. And this vitamin is also essential in keeping your bones healthy.
Most will attribute it to calcium but vitamin K also helps with bone formation and mineralization.
You can check one study (Bone Health And Osteoporosis: The Role Of Vitamin K And Potential Antagonism By Anticoagulants) that will tell you how important vitamin K’s role with your bone health.
8. Supports Good Digestion
Good digestion is usually linked to a high-fiber diet.
Spinach is a source of dietary fiber that can help.
Furthermore, this vegetable was observed to have glycoglycerolipids that can make your digestive tract lining stronger.
In a study (Antiulcer Activity Of Aqueous Extract Of Spinaciaoleraciain Rats) conducted in animals, researchers noticed antiulcer activity in spinach.
9. Spinach Supports Brain Health
According to this article (Eating Green Leafy Vegetables Keeps Mental Abilities Sharp), green leafy vegetables like spinach may help slow down cognitive decline.
In a study that was done with older adults, the researchers noticed that the ones who ate green leafy vegetables have a lower rate of cognitive decline compared to the ones who didn’t eat them.
10. Has Anti-inflammatory Qualities
Spinach is considered to be one of the better anti-inflammatory vegetables.
It has several compounds that give this effect.
This can help with chronic inflammations, arthritis, and gout.
Another green and leafy vegetable that has anti-inflammatory effects is komatsuna.
You can check my article about komatsuna’s health benefits here.
11. Spinach Contains Several Beneficial Plant Compounds
Spinach is one of those vegetables that are very rich in plant compounds that support your body’s health.
These are kaempferol, lutein, nitrates, quercetin, and zeaxanthin.
All of which contribute to keeping your body healthy.
12. Helps Reduce Blood Pressure Levels
Eating spinach may help you manage your blood pressure levels.
According to a published study (Nitrate-Rich Vegetables Increase Plasma Nitrate and Nitrite Concentrations and Lower Blood Pressure in Healthy Adults), vegetables like spinach are rich in plasma nitrate and nitrite concentrations can lower blood pressure in adults.
13. Spinach May Help Detoxify Your Body
Spinach is a popular ingredient in making detox juices.
Some say that its chlorophyll has anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects on the body which help in removing toxins.
Conclusion
These are just some of the many health benefits of spinach.
I particularly like spinach ever since I watched Popeye becoming stronger whenever he eats this vegetable.
The anti-inflammatory qualities of spinach are my choice as the best health benefit on the list.
This is because I suffer from very annoying arthritis.
What’s the best health benefit of spinach on the list for you?
Although this veggie is very common, you should still first inquire with your doctor or medical professional if you’re consuming it for health reasons.
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