Spinach is one of the green leafy vegetables that provides us with vitamins, minerals and fiber, as well as other substances very important to take care of our health such as phytonutrients.
It is a vegetable that we can use in many cooking recipes: we can add spinach to lasagnas, vegetable purees, rehomeed with chickpeas, or we can also consume raw and fresh spinach in salads and in smoothies or green juices, etc.
Spinach belongs to the botanical family quenopodiaceae, as do chard and quinoa or quinoa.
In this article we tell you what is the nutritional value of spinach and its properties and benefits for health and contraindications of spinach consumption.
Nutritional value of spinach
Of 100 grams of spinach, 90 are water. It has vegetable protein, a very low carbohydrate content and spinach fat is even lower. On the other hand, it has a high fiber content.
From spinach minerals we can highlight potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine and selenium.
The vitamins with the greatest presence in spinach are vitamins C, E, A, carotenes, folic acid or B9, niacin or B3 and riboflavin or B2.
Spinach has only 18 kcal per 100 grams and is why they are usually consumed very often in diets to lose weight and lose weight.
14 Health Benefits of Spinach Use
The antioxidant action of spinach helps us to combat the damage caused in our body by free radicals.
They take care of our eyesight by delaying or preventing the appearance of macular degeneration or cataracts. This is due to the content they have in beta-carotene (vitamin A of plant origin), almost as high as in the case of carrots.
They stimulate the functioning of our immune system.
Spinach helps reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular and degenerative disease.
The soluble and insoluble fiber content of spinach will help us prevent constipation, colon diseases and maintain good intestinal transit.
The vitamin C of spinach is involved in many of the functions that are performed in our body: formation of red and white blood cells, formation of collagen, bones and teeth..
This green leafy vegetable also promotes the proper functioning of our muscle and nervous system.
Spinach is a food that contains iodine, an essential nutrient that promotes the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. This gland regulates our metabolism.
The magnesium that this vegetable gives us is important to maintain favorable activity in our gut, our muscles and the immune system.
As with other foods of plant origin that have iron, it is interesting to accompany your consumption with foods rich in vitamin C to increase the absorption of this mineral. Thus we are trying to prevent iron deficiency anemia.
It is a food rich in water, low in carbohydrates and fats and high in fiber. This makes spinach an excellent choice for overweight or obese people who want to lose weight and are dieting. It will keep us hydrated, nourished and satisfied.
Spinach could help reduce your risk of diseases such as cancer due to its content in antioxidant compounds. In any case, eating a diet based on vegetables and fruits, eliminating or reducing the consumption of processed products and living as active and full a lifetime as possible, are the basis for good health and preventing or delaying the appearance of ailments of all kinds..
It is a vegetable with good contribution of folates or vitamin B9, the consumption of which should increase women during pregnancy and lactation to prevent damage to the baby’s development.
Spinach may be a suitable vegetable for people with hypertension or high blood pressure.
Source: ecoagricultor