Leafy greens are powerful agents that help your body to fight off many germs. While talking about leafy greens, we can’t forget about spinach.
Spinach is one of the best leafy greens that are rich in essential nutrients that improve your immune system. Its intake also promotes the defense rate against germs.
Spinach is also known as Palak (پالک) in Asian countries and mostly used in Pakoras. The spinach benefits are incredible as it helps your eye health, protects the heart, prevents cancer, etc.
First, let’s talk about its nutrition facts.
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Spinach Nutrition
You can eat spinach in different ways, such as in salads, or can make its smoothie. It depends on you how you would like to have it. But you must know how much nutritional value there is in one cup of raw spinach.
- Magnesium – 24 mg
- Vitamin A – 141 micrograms
- Folate – 58 mcg
- Protein – 0.8 g
- Iron – 0.81 g
- Potassium – 167 mg
- Calories – 7
Fiber: There is enough insoluble fiber in the spinach that helps to improve your health. It enhances your digestive system and also provides constipation relief.
Calcium: One cup serving of spinach contains 30 mg of calcium. The body absorbs calcium more easily as compared to other sources. It is also rich in oxalate content that connects the calcium and does not let the body use it.
Iron: Iron plays an important role in transporting oxygen in the blood. You can get enough iron from the spinach. The intake of spinach helps in pregnancy by maintaining iron content. It also boosts your immune system and improves digestive processes.
Magnesium: One cup serving of these leafy green vegetables contains 24 mg. This nutrient helps in maintaining muscles, boosting nerve function, giving a healthy immune system, maintaining blood pressure, etc.
Spinach also contains beneficial plant compounds, such as nitrates, zeaxanthin, lutein, kaempferol, quercetin, etc.
Spinach is also a great source of vitamins and minerals like bahi fruit contains. These vitamins and minerals are:
- Folic acid
- Calcium
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin K1
- Iron
Spinach Benefits for Health
Rich in essential nutrients, spinach stands in the top leafy greens that support your overall health. It helps your body in the following ways:
1. Promotes Eye Health
Spinach is a great source of plant compounds, like lutein and zeaxanthin. They are responsible for the color of veggies. Our eyes also contain these pigments. They help the eyes against the harmful rays of sunlight. When you eat spinach, it provides enough lutein and zeaxanthin that prevent the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
Age-related eye diseases can affect your vision or lead to vision loss, but healthy eating can help prevent this risk.
2. Maintains Blood Pressure
Leafy greens like spinach can do many best things for you as it contains nitrates that help to manage high blood pressure levels. Spinach also boosts your heart health. If you are at risk of developing any heart disease due to genetics, eat spinach to prevent this factor.
3. Prevents Cancer
There are two main components in the spinach, MGDG, and SQDG. Both components help slow down the growth of cancer cells.
The intake of these components slows tumor growth in a person’s cervix. Some studies also support that spinach containing these compounds MGDG and SQDG reduce tumor size. It is also high in antioxidants that fight cancer and improve your overall condition.
4. Manages Diabetes
High in antioxidants makes spinach one of the best leafy green vegetables that you need these days. It contains one specific antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid that decreases glucose levels.
According to studies, spinach also enhances insulin sensitivity and protects your system against oxidative-related changes in diabetics.
5. Reduces Asthma Symptoms
Asthma triggers can affect your life quality. But a healthy diet and environment can reduce the appearance of the symptoms. Spinach can help to reduce the severity of asthma symptoms and reduce the number of attacks. It contains all three essential nutrients, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and beta carotene which are beneficial for lung function.
6. Promotes Bone Health
Vitamin K in spinach enhances bone health. People with vitamin K deficiency lead to bone fracture. This vitamin boosts calcium absorption and leads to less amount of calcium in the urine.
7. Benefits Skin and Hair
Spinach is loaded with healthy nutrients for your hair and skin, such as iron, folate, vitamin C and A. All of these nutrients of spinach benefit your skin and hair. Vitamin A produces sebum in the skin glands while vitamin C helps to maintain the collagen. Sebum maintains the moisturizer in your scalp and skin and manages oil to prevent acne.
If you have severe acne breakouts, consult with the skin specialist to get an effective treatment along with healthy diet intake.
Side Effects of Spinach
The adverse effects of spinach can affect some individuals but not everyone. Spinach is rich in calcium and oxalates that can lead to acid and mineral salt buildup that lead to kidney stone formation. It is also rich in vitamin K1, which helps in many body functions but can interfere in blood-thinning medicine effects.
People who are at risk of kidney stones or take blood-thinning medicine should ask the doctor before consuming the spinach.
Ready to Live a Healthy Life?
Spinach is high in vitamin C, E, and iron that boost your immune system. You can add this leafy green in salads or use it in different dishes. Spinach benefits are incredible as it helps your body from head to toe. But living with any health condition makes it crucial to discuss your new diet addition with your doctor before consuming it.
