20 Health Benefits Of Spinach

Spinach is a dark green leafy vegetable that fit in the family of Chenopodiaceae, it was devised in Arabia and fist refined in Persia 2000 years ago. The word “Spinach” is derived from the word “ispanai” which means “green hand”, and then it was named as Spinach in English. Spinach can be eaten cooked or as a raw but for its health benefits, one should steam it or eat it as a salad because it conserves the nutrients in it.

Spinach plant grows to about 1 foot long in height, it can be grown year around but its fresh green leaves are available soon after the winter season. It has high nutrition value and contains a great amount of antioxidants. Vitamins and minerals in spinach include Vitamin A, B2, C, and K; and also cover iron, calcium and potassium.

The probable health benefits of spinach comprise control in diabetics, decrease the risk of cancer, dropping blood pressure, improving bone health, and decrease the risk of asthma and many more.

“Spanish is a very useful vegetable and can be eaten fresh or prepared. It can be found everywhere in adequate amount in both summer and winter season. Use it on the daily basis to get its perfect and proper results.”

There are many benefits of eating spinach and some of the supreme health benefits are listed below.

20. Healthy Skin And Hair

Spinach includes Vitamin A that helps in production of sebum necessary to keep the hair moisturized. Vitamin A is also good for the development of body tissues including hairs and skin. It also contains Vitamin C that is important for building and preservation of collagen that gives structure to skin and hair.

Some of the advantages for hair and skin by the adequate intake of spinach are:

  • Spinach cures acne; it helps in cleaning up the acne resulting as the healthy skin. You can make a mask by mixing water and spinach together and apply on your face for 20 minutes. It will remove all the dirt, oil and redness from your skin.
  • You can also mix the spinach with quantitative amount of other vegetable juices; such as: mix ½ tomato, ¼ cucumber, ½ red pepper, ½ cabbage, 1 carrot, 1 celery, ½ red cabbage, 1 green onion and a handful of spinach. Mix these together and drink it daily, it is efficient for the healing of skin and avoids acne.
  • Spinach is rich in Vitamin B that guards your skin from the harmful ultra violet rays that causes sun damage and skin cancer.
  • It also helps in repairing the skin as it contains high amount of Vitamin A and C that improves skin tone and Vitamin C plays a vital role in the development of skin cells.
  • Spinach holds all the things necessary for the growth of hair such as Vitamin B, C, and E, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
  • The common cause of hair loss is iron deficiency that can be stopped by sufficient use of iron-rich foods and fortunately, spinach is one of them.

19. Promotes Regularity

Spinach contains a great amount of fiber and water content, both of which can be used to avoid constipation and indorse a healthy digestive tract. To prevent the constipation, you should have spinach soup and spinach stalk drink; both the recipes are provided at the end.

18. Bone Health

The amount of Vitamin K provided in Spinach is important for preserving the bone health.

  • Vitamin K1 helps thwarting the extreme activation of osteoclasts, the cells that interrupt down bone.
  • It is also vital for attaching calcium in the bones and makes it important for preventing osteoporosis.
  • All other minerals like magnesium, zinc, copper existing in spinach makes the bones strong.
  • Spinach is good alternative to dairy products because it provides proper substitute to calcium.

Have a cup of spinach leaves daily that is important for strengthening your bones.

17. Lowering Blood Pressure

Green leafy vegetable spinach is low in calories and high in fiber, full of healthy nutrients like potassium and magnesium that helps in lowering your blood pressure.

  • Spinach is good for those with high blood pressure to contradict the effects of sodium in the body.
  • The balanced level of potassium and sodium in spinach are very beneficial for the patients of high blood pressure.
  • Spinach also contains folate that relaxes the body vessels and upholds proper blood flow.
  • You can eat spinach by making several healthy recipes such as mixing spinach leaves into Salad or make a sandwich.

16. Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the common form of Dementia – brain disorders that affect memory, thinking and behavior. Low level of Vitamin B12 or folate increases the risk of Dementia but Spinach holds the rich amount of these two essentials that why it is very helpful to prevent this disease.

  • Spinach leaves are excellent source of Vitamin K.
  • It has developed the vital role in the patients with this disease by preventive neuronal injury in the brain.

15. Promotes A Healthy Pregnancy

All the leafy green are perfect vegetables during pregnancy but the raw spinach is greatest of them all because it contains folate (folic acid); it is necessary for the unborn baby and its acceptable amount lowers the risk of birth defects and preterm labor.

  • Spinach is considered as the super-food during pregnancy because it contains every vitamin and mineral suitable for the unborn baby.
  • During pregnancy, you can take the smoothie of raw spinach every morning, if you don’t like its taste, mix some frozen fruit and it will control the taste of spinach.
  • Take strawberry and spinach salad for lunch or you can even steam it for your dinner.
  • You should take the spinach in every day; it will be good for the mother and the unborn baby.

14. Maintain A Healthy Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal – made up of stomach and intestine, plays a vital role in your internal health. The foods you eat can help nurture your gastrointestinal tract and there are some essential nutrients you should have and Spinach is one of them.

  • Spinach contains fiber; it has nutritional effect on gastrointestinal tract.
  • The beta-carotene and vitamin C confined in spinach works to guard colon cells from the injurious things of free radicals.
  • Folate found in spinach also helps avoid the transformations and DNA damage in intestinal cells.

“Spinach is one of the wonderful green-leafy vegetable accepted as the functional foods for its nutritional and anti-cancer composition. It’s affectionate, crispy, dark-green leaves are one of the favorite ingredients of chefs all around the world.”

13. Improves Eyesight

Spinach includes the high amount of beta carotene, lutein and xanthene, these all are beneficial for eyesight.

  • It also contains Vitamin A that is also beneficial for eyesight.
  • It prevents humans from the deficiency of Vitamin A, itching eyes, eye ulcers and dry eyes.
  • These all things are due to reason of anti-inflammatory properties of spinach that reduces the irritation of eyes.

12. Diabetes Management

Spinach is very useful for patients suffering from diabetes. The magnesium containing in spinach helps to avoid the complications occurring after diabetes.

  • It contains antioxidant called as alpha-lipoic acid which increases insulin sensitivity and prevent oxidative stress.
  • Take spinach regularly that will help in stabilizing the blood sugar.

11. Good For Weight Loss

Spinach contains huge amount of iron which grows the metabolism and the amount of oxygen that flows through your body resulting in burning the fat of your body and leads to losing weight.

  • It is the significant vegetable for your diet.
  • Spinach is encumbered with vitamins and minerals and is really good for weight loss.
  • Spinach is known as one of the healthy-weight loss foods.

It is healthy and low-calorie food but if you really want to lose weight then have a huge amount of spinach and chew it to get the proper results.

10. Prevent Anemia

Spinach is a super food to prevent anemia as it contains plenty of calcium, vitamin A, B9 and iron too that helps in maintain the healthy immune system.

  • The amount of iron in spinach helps in reproducing the red blood cells which carries oxygen to every part of the body.
  • It is recommended to eat the food containing folate if a person wants to prevent anemia and it can be found in any plant based food and as you know spinach is one of them so start eating spinach.

9. Prevention Of Heart Attack

Unnecessary deposition of fat can cause thickening in the human artery wall that result in the heart attack. Heart attacks are caused by the hardening of artery walls but there is a prevention of it as well.

  • Spinach contains high amount of lutein which helps in the prevention of thickening of the walls of arteries and decreases the chances of heart attack.
  • It also includes the nitrite that not only helps in preventing the risk of heart attack but also does treatment of heart diseases related to fat deposition.

8. Boosts Immunity

Vitamin A in spinach protects and strengthens the entry points into human body such as respiratory, urinary and intestinal tracts.

  • Green leafy vegetable spinach is one of the greatest immune-boosting foods because it contains Vitamin C which not only helps in the protection of human body but also fights off infections.
  • Spinach also contains folate that is another immune-booster.
  • You can use fresh leaves of spinach to make a nutrient-rich salad.

7. Brain And Nervous Function

Spinach sustains the proper function of brain especially in old age.

  • Having spinach on daily basis can make your brain strong and active and enables it to think intelligently.
  • As it contains folate, vitamin K and vitamin C which helps in controlling the hormone production of nervous system.
  • Spinach can be referred as helpful for modifying behavioral and intellectual issues.

6. Anti-Ulcerative

Anti-ulcerative meaning tending to prevent or heal ulcers!

  • It has been found that spinach is a source of preventing the slippery skin of stomach and it decreases the happening of gastric ulcers.
  • The glycoglycerolipids set up in spinach can increase the strength of digestive tract lining and is used to prevent unwanted inflammation in that part of the body that can cause harm.

5. Anti-Inflammatory Properties

There are many anti-inflammatory compounds found in spinach more than a dozen.

  • Spinach is one of the powerful vegetables conducted for the reduction of inflammation in the body.
  • Not only protecting the heart disease but also from the pain of arthritis and gout.
  • It contains high alkalinity properties that make it the perfect food for people suffering from inflammatory.

4. Treat Bleeding Gums

If you take huge amount of refined sugar and have a Vitamin C deficiency, it will cause bleeding gums and for its treatment, you can take a juice of spinach and carrot and it will be helpful.

Recipe of spinach and carrot juice is given below:

  • Take 8 medium size carrots, peel and chop them into small pieces.
  • 1 large bunch of spinach properly rinsed and chopped.
  • 1 chopped celery stalk.
  • Process carrots, celery and spinach all together in the juicer.
  • Serve in the glass and drink it immediately before its nutrients begins to evaporate.

3. Slow Down The Aging Process

Spinach is known as the medicine of anti-aging that slows down age related erosion and prevents premature aging.

Fresh leaves of spinach are great source of vitamin A, C and lutein and together these can help in caring against oxygen-derived free militants that plays a healing role in aging and several processes of diseases.

2. Protein Source Of Infant Growth

When we were infants, we saw the Popeye cartoon who was obsessed with spinach. It was because it makes infants strong and strengthens their bones. Infants are advised to consume spinach because it is rich in protein, minerals, and vitamins. These all helps in the developments in vital growing stages.

1. Fight Cancer Cells

Spinach gives a knockout punch to Cancer.

  • Vitamin A, C and fiber, folic acid and other 13 flavonoids found in spinach are very helpful in fighting against cancer cells.
  • A study has shown that these factors have reduced cancer by 34%, particularly in breast, stomach, cervical and skin cancer.
  • Spinach is also good for fighting against ovarian cancer.

DO’s

  • Cook it properly for the proper function of thyroid gland.
  • Wash spinach leaves carefully and properly, repeating the rinsing process two or three times because if any spick of grit left behind will destroy the taste of perfect dish.
  • Have a bowl of spinach on the daily basis to increase the efficiency of muscles.
  • After eating spinach, wash your teeth properly for might it can stick in your teeth and gives the bad effect.
  • Spinach can be used as a proper dish or a perfect dinner dish, it is good either way.

Don’ts

  • Don’t have spinach if your kidneys are not fully functional.
  • Don’t have spinach all alone as it is high in oxalic acid, it can bind with iron and calcium and can cause your body absorb less nutrients.
  • Eat spinach, not kale because it is very bitter in taste and its toughness cannot be overcome through cooking.
  • If you are allergic to spinach, don’t have it.
  • To avoid the fat, don’t use bacon or egg yolks in your dish rather use mushrooms and garbanzo beans.

There are some healthy recipes of spinach that helps you in many ways.

  • Garlic Sautéed Spinach: This helps in weight loss.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds of baby spinach leaves.
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil.
  • 2 tablespoon chopped garlic.
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
  • ¾ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper.
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.

Method

  • Rinse the spinach well in cold water and make sure it’s properly clean. Whirl it and dry in a salad spinner.
  • Heat the olive oil in a very large pot and sauté the garlic over medium heat for about a minute but not until it’s browned.
  • Add all the spinach, salt, pepper in the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot and cook it for 2 minutes.
  • Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high and cook the spinach for another minute, stir with the wooden spoon, until the spinach is floppy.
  • Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with a butter, a squeeze of lemon and sprinkling of kosher salt.
  • Serve Hot.

Spinach Soup

  • Take 1 bunch of spinach and 2 cups of water.
  • Chop the spinach into small pieces.
  • Boil the chopped spinach in water for 2 minutes.
  • You can eat this soup all day or have it 2-3 times in a day.

Spinach Stalk Drink

  • Take 1 handful of spinach stalk, wash it and chop.
  • Take 2 cups of water.
  • Boil the spinach stalk on a low flame for 5 minutes.
  • You can drink it thought out the whole day or you can drink this 3-4 times a week.

The spinach soup and spinach stalk drink effects in clearing the large intestine and decreases the indications of diabetes.

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