10 Proven Health Benefits of Spinach That You Need to Know About

Nutrients in spinach

Spinach is a fantastic source of carotenes, vitamin C and K, and folic acid. It’s a great source of magnesium, iron, manganese and vitamin B2. It’s also a very good source of vitamins E, B1 and B6.

Nutritional value of spinach per 100g:

How many calories in spinach – 23
How much protein in spinach – 2.9g
How many carbs in spinach – 3.6g
What is the fat content of spinach – 0.4g

How to cook spinach:

The younger spinach leaves can be eaten raw, while the older spinach leaves can be roasted (8-10 minutes), stir fried (1-2 minutes), or steamed (3-4 minutes). Spinach is dramatically reduced when cooked; take this into consideration when cooking spinach.

How to make baked spinach chips:

Toss baby spinach leaves in large bowl with olive oil, sea salt and freshly chopped garlic. In a single layer, place the leaves on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Bake in a pre-heated oven (270ºF) for approximately 12 minutes, or until crispy.

Spinach smoothie recipe:

1 cup organic baby spinach leaves, 1/2 banana, fresh or frozen, 1/4 cup chopped pineapple, 1 tbsp protein powder, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds

How to freeze spinach:

The flavor of freshly picked frozen spinach is far superior to supermarket frozen spinach. Use only fresh spinach leaves for freezing spinach.

Remove stems and rinse the leaves 3 x times, each time in clean water. Instead of blanching in boiling water, steam blanch the leaves for a couple of minutes to avoid losing nutrition.

Leave to cool and drain in a colander. Vacuum pack into freezer bags and freeze until needed. Another method for freezing spinach is to puree it in a blender and freeze it in ice cube trays.

1 – Is spinach good for diabetes?

According to researchers, leafy green vegetables such as spinach have the highest concentrations of alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant which has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels. Alpha-lipoic acid kills free radicals, helping individuals with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

2 – Is spinach good for weight loss

Spinach could be the latest weight-loss aid curbing food cravings by nearly 95 per cent, new research has found.

Scientists have discovered that the green leaf membranes found in spinach known as thylakoids curb food cravings by almost 95%. Thylakoids reinforce production of satiety hormones, which results in better appetite control and increased weight loss.¹

Spinach extract reduces food cravings:

Research has proven that a spinach extract can help reduce cravings for junk food. The spinach extract contains thylakoids.²

3 – Is spinach good for the eyes?

Spinach is one of the best dietary sources of lutein, which makes it a particularly important food for the promotion of healthy eyesight and the prevention of cataracts and macular degeneration.³

A study of 356 individuals having age-related macular degeneration revealed that higher consumption of spinach led to a substantially lower risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Another study has revealed that spinach intake is associated with a lower risk of getting cataracts.

Research has found that higher dietary consumption of vitamin E and lutein is linked to significantly reduced risk of cataract.⁴

4 – Is spinach good for cancer?

Research has shown that diets high in dark green vegetables like spinach are linked to a reduced risk of several types of cancer. One study has shown that higher consumption of spinach to be associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer.⁵

Another study found that one of the antioxidants in spinach slowed prostate cancer in animal as well as human prostate cancer cells.⁶

Scientific study has identified no less than 13 different flavonoid compounds known as methylenedioxyflavonol glucuronides found in spinach which function as anticancer agents.

5 – Is spinach good for blood pressure?

The magnesium in spinach helps to reduce high blood pressure. Magnesium has been proven in numerous clinical trials to lower blood pressure, which in turn can help individuals avoid antihypertensive medications which lead to magnesium deficiency.⁷

6 – Is spinach good for the bones?

The risk of bone fracture could be increased by a low intake of vitamin K. Spinach is a rich source of vitamin K, which plays an important part in bone metabolism and bone health optimization.⁸⁹

7 – Is spinach good for dementia?

According to research, the addition of spinach or other green leafy vegetables to the diet could help slow cognitive decline, which is associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The researchers linked the vitamin K in spinach to slower cognitive decline. Increased spinach consumption could potentially protect the brain from dementia and Alzheimer’s.

8 – Is spinach good for asthma?

Spinach is a great source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant which could help prevent exercise-induced asthma.¹⁰

9 – Is spinach good for cholesterol?

Thylakoids have also been found to reduce LDL cholesterol. The antioxidant lutein found in spinach has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in aortic tissue which can help to reduce LDL cholesterol.¹¹

10 – Is spinach good for hair?

The vitamin A in spinach, otherwise known as retinol, helps to produce healthy sebum, an oily substance secreted by the scalp that keeps hair moisturized. Hair loss can be prevented by an adequate intake of foods rich in iron such as spinach.

Where does spinach come from?

Spinach originally came from ancient Persia and has been cultivated in China and other Asian countries as well as the Middle East for around 2,000 years. Spinach cultivation in Europe began in the eleventh century, when it was introduced into Spain by the Moors.

The Netherlands and the U.S. are currently two of the largest commercial providers of spinach.