Adding a handful of spinach to your plate as often as possible will help your weight loss. Apart from many health benefits, spinach is also a trustworthy assistant when it comes to a correct diet. You’ll have to combine it with other essential nutrients, but spinach is definitely good for weight loss and also pretty versatile.
Green, but Not Broccoli!
These green leaves are essentially a power food, crazy in nutrients, and an excellent alternative to broccoli. Cooked spinach may not be to everyone’s taste, but it’s fantastic if you eat it raw. Either way, you can get creative with your menu and get your daily dose of many healthy nutrients. And you will also accelerate your weight loss.
Leafy greens, in general, are excellent sources of vitamins and fibers and essential to a balanced diet. Spinach is one of the best examples. However, that doesn’t mean you should eat loads of it and nothing else to see your waist get smaller.
This leafy veggie alone is not enough, as amazing as it may be. But if you add protein, healthy fats, and all the other elements the doctor recommends, you get an ideal diet plan. So let’s see what spinach does for the body and why you should give it more credit as a diet helper.
What Are the Benefits of Eating Spinach?
Apart from sustaining your weight loss, it does many other wonders to your body. The combination of numerous nutrients and few calories is a definite winner. With so many spinach benefits, we have all the reasons to add this superfood to our grocery list.
Take a look below to read all about how spinach is good for you.
10 health benefits of spinach
Better blood circulation
Spinach is good for your circulatory system because it contains a lot of water and keeps your blood viscosity at a normal level, enabling a correct flow. In addition, it’s known that iron is excellent for your blood, and this plant is one of the best sources of iron.
Your blood pressure will also be under control, thanks to the nitrates it contains. So if you’re at risk for hypertension, try as many spinach recipes as you can.
More radiant skin
If you want your skin to look healthy and glowing, collagen is the key. And one of the spinach benefits is ensuring adequate collagen levels through its high concentration of Vitamin C – which is essential in building collagen.
It’s also a good source of Vitamin A, which prevents your skin from getting too greasy, and keeps your skin and hair moisturized.
It improves your mental balance and brain function
It contains many nutrients essential for your brain’s health, like Vitamin K, lutein, beta carotene, and folate. All these sustain your brain function and prevent cognitive decline. Apart from keeping your brain young, it also has anti-stress properties and helps you avoid depression.
Stronger bones
Its Vitamin K and calcium keep your bones healthy by preserving their density. Avoiding osteoporosis becomes increasingly crucial after 35, but a healthy diet can help you prevent bone issues.
The fact is Vitamin K and calcium are closely connected. You need Vitamin K for efficient calcium absorption and to reduce the amount of calcium you eliminate through urine.
It strengthens immunity and recovery from injuries
Spinach can boost your immunity thanks to the high Vitamin C concentration, helping you recover faster from illnesses and, in some cases, avoiding them altogether. You’ll also recover from injuries more quickly, as its nutrients can help you regenerate muscle tissue and help your body heal faster.
Enhanced eyesight
They say eating carrots will improve your eyesight, which is true due to the beta carotene. But guess what? Spinach is also rich in beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are also essential for healthy eyes.
Studies have shown that people who frequently eat foods rich in zeaxanthin, may be half as likely to get cataracts.
Higher energy levels
The iron concentration in spinach is excellent for keeping your energy at high levels. But it also contains magnesium, which also supports you in handling your daily activities. On the other hand, the folate also helps your body turn food into energy. So overall, it’s a good idea to find out how to cook it because it will keep you on top of your game.
It fights free radicals
Antioxidants are superheroes fighting free radicals and preventing them from harming your cells. Like many other veggies, this one is also rich in antioxidants, so it can help you avoid or fight severe illnesses like diabetes, Parkinson’s, and cancer.
Reduces inflammation
Spinach is also good for you due to its anti-inflammatory properties from Vitamin E, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Inflammation can severely harm your body in many ways, so if you can prevent it by adding these healthy leaves to your diet, it would be a shame not to try it.
It prevents anemia
Anemia caused by iron deficiency is more common than you may think. And spinach, being rich in iron, can be of great help in that sense. You need adequate iron levels for your red blood cells to be able to do their job and transport oxygen through your organism.
If you feel dizzy, weak, short of breath, your hands and feet are cold, and you look pale, you may be suffering from anemia. A diet rich in green leaves may have prevented that.
What Is Spinach Rich in?
Everyone knows it’s healthy, even those who are too young to know about Popeye. And we saw above what incredible benefits you get from eating it. So now, let’s see some spinach nutrition facts to understand its value better.
The table below will reveal spinach nutrition elements found in a 100-grams portion of raw spinach:
| Calcium | 99 mg |
| Iron | 2.71 mg |
| Magnesium | 79 mg |
| Potassium | 558 mg |
| Vitamin C | 28.1 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.195 mg |
| Folate | 194 µg |
| Betaine | 103 mg |
| Vitamin A | 469 µg |
| Beta-carotene | 5630 µg |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 12200 µg |
| Vitamin E | 2.03 mg |
| Vitamin K | 483 µg |
| Water | 91.4 g |
Read more about spinach but also other healthy green veggies in Tasty Broccoli Alternatives for a Healthy Diet
If you’re wondering how to use it, there are so many spinach recipes to choose from; you will definitely find at least a tempting one. Sure, for weight loss, you should opt for spinach without cream, for example. But you can use it in wraps, salads, casseroles, dips (made with yogurt, for instance), and soups. Also, a spinach smoothie is one of the best weight loss drinks, and it can help you reduce your belly fat. Or, if you usually have many salad meals, tossing in a few of these leaves is easy.
Spinach versus Baby Spinach
What’s the difference between spinach and baby spinach? Is baby spinach better or just sounds more interesting?
Spinach and baby spinach refer to the same plant, harvested at different times during its growth. If the farmer harvests it earlier, it’s baby spinach. The advantage is that it’s tender and doesn’t have that bitter taste full-grown spinach does.
When it comes to nutrients, it’s not clear which version of spinach is better. So apart from the tenderness and slight taste difference, they are basically the same.
Spinach versus Broccoli – the Ultimate Battle
Since finding better options than the gross broccoli is pretty important for me, l was thrilled to find out that this is a strong contender.
Spinach seems to be healthier than broccoli because it contains more water and less sugar and provides magnesium, Vitamin E, manganese, potassium, and protein. It is clearly the better option if you also want to lose weight because it has fewer calories than broccoli.
I rest my case!
FAQs
Are the stems good for you?
The stems have the same nutrients as the leaves. And they taste pretty lovely as well. So it would be a shame to throw them away. Instead, just wash them very well and get creative. You can cook them in a pan, add them to your rice and veggies, or steam them.
Can spinach cause constipation?
Spinach is fiber-rich, like all green vegetables, so average consumption won’t cause constipation. But if you eat too much of it, you may feel bloated, experience diarrhea, and sometimes even constipation. As a rule of thumb, more than 70 grams of fiber daily can lead to those symptoms.
Does cooking the spinach affect its nutrients?
Interestingly enough, some nutrients in spinach behave differently when cooked. However, both raw and cooked versions bring benefits, so it’s best to include them to your diet.
Raw spinach contains oxalic acid, which can affect the absorption of calcium and iron. But you should still eat spinach raw because it has a lot of Vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, and potassium.
Once you heat it, you will absorb some nutrients better. For example, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, calcium, iron, and zinc are all more absorbable from cooked leaves.
If you’re looking for inspiration for a salad recipe, check out my Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad.
Why does it taste bitter?
The bitter taste comes from oxalic acid. So you may want to avoid large leaves of a darker green because those have higher concentrations of oxalic acid. And to lose the bitter taste, cook it with a form of acid, like vinegar or lemon juice.
Can you get kidney stones from spinach?
If you don’t eat excessive amounts on a daily basis, you shouldn’t worry about kidney stones. Still, the oxalic acid that gives it the bitter taste also has the potential to boost kidney stone formation. If you cook it, the level of oxalic acid decreases.
So if you are at risk of developing kidney stones, you should use it less and make sure to cook it. The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor if you need to be on a special diet due to kidney issues. They may tell you to avoid it altogether.
Written by Mia Davis
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