Health benefits of spinach to help manage general health

Monday, July 22, 2013 by: Sandeep Godiyal
Tags: spinach, health benefits, superfood

(NaturalNews) Dr. Michael Murray, an authority on natural medicine, asserts that spinach is among the most nutritious vegetables and quite an excellent source of iron, vitamins, and minerals.

This is a great addition to healthy balanced meals not only for its nutrient content but also because it is low in calories.

Different types of spinach

Spinach comes in different varieties. One is savoy which has crusty and curly leaves with creases and springs back fast when squeezed or stretched. The smooth-leaf type has smooth and even leaf, not wrinkled, and it has leaves in the shape of a spade. The other type is semi-savoy which has similar characteristics to the first type. However, the semi-savoy variety does not have as much creases.

Young spinach leaves or baby spinach are excellent for making vegetable salads because of their sweet taste and smaller leaves. When selecting spinach, choose the ones with lively dark green leaves and stalks. Yellowing is not a good characteristic of any green leafy vegetable. The leaves have to look fresh and not wilting. When you see slime coats on the leaves, this means the spinach is already in the process of decaying. It is also important not to rinse these vegetables prior to storing. When they come in contact with water, it promotes early decay.

Beneficial content of spinach

Spinach is a good source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant which helps in fighting diseases and eye conditions such as cataracts. It also aids in fighting cancer and since it has abundant levels of potassium it also helps reduce the risks of heart conditions. When uncooked, spinach is also a great source of vitamin C. It should never be overcooked; otherwise, it will lose its healthy properties. Since it has a rich green color, spinach contains phytochemicals that help in the prevention of age-related eye conditions. Its lipoic acid content makes regeneration of Vitamin C and Vitamin E possible. The leaves of the spinach are rich in Vitamin K. A hundred-gram serving of this vegetable can provide 402 percent of the daily required amount of Vitamin K. This nutrient has proven its function in lessening any neuronal damage in the brain such as what occurs in a person suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

To sum up

To conclude, Dr. Murray always emphasizes this combination of valuable nutrients makes spinach a highly nutritious vegetable. The unique combination of phytonutrients makes it a very potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory organic product. Studies indicate that drinking a freshly made spinach juice or smoothie is a very healthy means to ingest this nutritious vegetable even when combined with other fruits and vegetables. Apparently, there have been no recorded negative effects in consuming spinach on a daily basis. Actually, making this part of regular meals can be very beneficial to health. Nevertheless, it is also important to eat other healthy foods and other sources of valuable nutrients.

Sources for this article include:

http://spinachsite.com

http://www.nutrition-and-you.com

http://www.kitchenstewardship.com

http://science.naturalnews.com/spinach.html

About the author:
Sandeep has written many health field articles for both Internet and print publication. He currently writing for insurancetips4u.co.

Read More articles from Sandeep:


5 Must-Know Things about Car Insurance

Top 5 Reasons Your Health Insurance Premium Will Rise in 2016

Top 5 Tips for Finding Affordable Health Insurance Policy