29 beneficial properties, benefits and harms of spinach for the health of women and men

Spinach Is a dark green leafy vegetable. It tastes slightly bitter, but is considered one of the healthiest foods for its nutritional, antioxidant, and anti-cancer components. Its delicate crunchy dark green leaves are used as ingredients in a variety of dishes. Although available all year round, this leafy vegetable is best eaten after the winter season, from March to May.

It contains protective carotenoid compounds that reduce the risk of many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases, and obesity.

General benefits

Spinach can inhibit the formation of cancer cells because it protects against cell DNA damage and limits oxidative stress in the presence of antioxidants such as neoxanthin and violaxanthin. According to research, spinach carotenoids protect cells in the body from mutations that can ultimately lead to cancer growth.

Spinach also contains chloroplast and chlorophyll. Thanks to these properties, research has shown that the leafy vegetable protects against cancer by eliminating carcinogens from the body, detoxifying the body, reducing inflammation and slowing down free radical damage.

Spinach also contains vitamin A, which is essential for maintaining healthy mucous membranes and good vision. Spinach reduces the risk of age-related eye diseases, including macular degeneration. Other spinach carotenoids protect vulnerable tissues in the retinal area from oxidative stress, which can lead to blindness, cataracts, and other complications.

Vitamin K also contributes to the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein essential for maintaining bone strength and density. Spinach is a good alternative to dairy because it provides the body with a lot of calcium, which prevents osteoporosis. The leafy vegetable is an essential protein for vegetarians as it helps in building and maintaining muscle tissue and promoting collagen growth.

The nutrients in these vegetable greens play an important role in maintaining the balance of sodium and potassium. The peptides found in spinach are effective in lowering blood pressure because they inhibit the angiotensin I-converting enzyme.

Spinach contains folic acid, vitamin K and vitamin C, which help in the regulation of hormonal production in the nervous system. Vitamin K contributes to the health of the nervous system and the proper functioning of the brain. It facilitates the synthesis of sphingolipids, essential fatty acids that form the myelin sheath around nerve endings. Thus, spinach may prove beneficial in correcting behavioral and cognitive problems.

In animal studies, changes in the age-related signs of cognitive impairment have been found and some difficulties with motor skills have been overcome. The group of people who consumed spinach felt an improvement in their ability to perform their behavioral tasks, and also improved their scores on cognitive tests. This suggests that the antioxidants found in spinach can delay both the mental and physical signs of aging.

In addition, spinach contains high quality nitrite, which not only helps prevent heart attack, but also treats heart disease associated with fatty deposits in the walls of blood vessels. The dietary fiber found in spinach helps lower cholesterol levels and slows down the absorption of glucose from the bloodstream. Together, these factors significantly reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.

What’s more, spinach is a better source of iron compared to meat, as it contains far fewer calories and is free of fat and cholesterol. Iron is also necessary for energy production, since it is a component of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to all cells of the body.

Compounds found in spinach have been found to reduce the risk of complications that can arise from diabetes (eg, heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, numbness in the limbs).

Spinach is a good source of dietary fiber, which is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system. They improve bowel motility, remove waste and toxins from the body, and prevent constipation and diarrhea.

Magnesium is needed to regulate calcium, potassium, and sodium, which together control neuromuscular signals and muscle contractions. This is why magnesium deficiency can sometimes lead to muscle pain and cramps. Magnesium deficiency has also been linked to insomnia, mood disorders, headaches, high blood pressure, and the risk of diabetes.

Benefits for women

Skin Benefits

Hair Benefits

Benefits for men

Harm and contraindications

High oxalate levels are known to make iron and calcium much less absorbable. Because of this, the body does not receive enough of these elements, which can interfere with its normal functioning and lead to various diseases associated with a lack of minerals.

Chemical composition of the product

Spinach Nutritional Value (100g) and Percent Daily Values:

conclusions

Spinach is one of the healthiest leafy vegetables to include in your diet as a staple. It has many advantages. Excessive consumption of this plant can be hazardous to health, however, as it has some potential side effects and contraindications.

Be that as it may, side effects can always be avoided with proper use of the product. Be healthy!

Sources of Research

The main research on spinach has been carried out by foreign physicians. Below you can find the primary sources of research on the basis of which this article was written:

Additional useful information about spinach

How to use

1. In cooking.

• Spinach will taste stronger and more acidic after cooking.
• Meals can be prepared with fresh, frozen or canned spinach. Better to use fresh or frozen.
• This leafy vegetable can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, or baked.
• It can be added to soups, salads, pancakes, side dishes, baked goods, juices, etc.
• A distinction should be made between spring and summer spinach. Spring can be boiled or added to salads raw. Summer is used only boiled.
• Cooking spinach should be taken seriously in order to preserve its beneficial qualities. It cannot be overheated or stirred too vigorously, this leads to the destruction of the membrane of plant cells and the loss of nutrients.
• For better absorption of vitamins A and E, you can add a spoonful of olive oil to spinach salads.

• against freckles and age spots;
• as a nourishing mask for dry skin;
• for oily skin;
• for problem skin;
• for aging skin;
• for the area around the eyes;
• against acne and inflammation;
• anti-wrinkle;
• with burns;
• as a tincture or juice to improve hair health.

How to choose

• Fresh spinach is available all year round, although its main season is in the spring and fall.
• When shopping for spinach, look for leaves that have a rich, dark green color.
• Do not buy spinach with withered leaves or dampыwe are brownыmi spots.
• Spinach attracts and retains bacteria, so rinse thoroughly before using.
• You can buy frozen spinach. Freezing does not affect the beneficial properties, and the shelf life is increased.
• Fresh spinach has a rich mouth-watering smell. If you don’t smell it, chances are the spinach has been on the shelf for several days.
• The spinach leaves should be slightly crunchy. To test this, you can fold it in half.
• The leaves should be smooth, supple and succulent.
• If the stem of the spinach is too wide, this indicates that the greens are overripe and contain a lot of bitterness.
• Young spinach leaves are healthier because they have a higher content of vitamins and minerals and less oxalic acid.

How to store

• You can prolong the freshness of spinach by placing it in a vacuum container.
• It cannot be stored outside the refrigerator, as substances hazardous to the body begin to form in it.
• Fresh spinach can be stored for a couple of days. Do not store spinach for more than 3 days. After this period, decay processes begin.
• In frozen form, greens are stored from 30 to 45 days.
• It is not necessary to pre-wash the spinach leaves – this will significantly reduce the shelf life.
• It can be stored in a plastic bag.
• Avoid placing spinach next to fruits such as bananas or apples, or it will start to rot ahead of time.

How to properly freeze spinach

• To freeze, the spinach leaves should be plucked before the flowering period.
• Rinse well and cut into strips.
• Put in a glass dish, cover with hot water.
• After 2 minutes, drain the water and wait for it to cool.
• Press the greens with your hands and transfer to a storage container.
• Remove the resulting “lump” of beneficial nutrients in the freezer.
• Before use, it does not need to be completely defrosted, it is enough to soften it slightly.

History of occurrence

Spinach is native to Central and Southwest Asia. It has been cultivated for thousands of years. This vegetable was first seen in Ancient Persia. Then the spinach migrated to the lands of Spain, where it was brought by the Arabs. It was brought to Europe by the crusaders.

In the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, spinach bread and spinach juice were especially popular. Bread was baked from flour obtained from spinach seeds, and the juice was widely used for decorative purposes in cooking. They dyed butter, cream, various creams and sauces green. As a natural color, juice was also a useful vitamin supplement.

Russia learned about spinach in the middle of the 90th century. However, for about a hundred years, it was considered a “master’s” vegetable and was inaccessible to ordinary people. In Soviet times, the vegetable was not in demand. The inhabitants of our country began to actively include it in the diet only in the XNUMXs of the twentieth century, when information about the benefits of spinach began to appear in specialized magazines.

Now in various European countries, spinach is one of the most beloved leafy vegetables. It grows rapidly, therefore, even in the middle lane, it is possible to harvest up to 3 times a year.

How and where is it grown

Spinach is an annual plant with slightly curved green leaves. It reaches 20-30 cm in height. Nowadays, spinach is grown everywhere except in the tropics. In Europe, he is especially loved in Germany, Italy and France.

Of the major countries, spinach is most popular in China and the United States. In America, three-quarters of the spinach crop is sold fresh. Leaves are sold by weight, in bunches or packed in airtight containers. In the 5st century, young spinach with tender leaves no more than 15 cm long, which is harvested 35-XNUMX days after planting, is rapidly gaining market positions.

In Russia, spinach is mainly grown by summer residents and private farms, then sold in bunches in the markets.

Interesting Facts

• When cooked, the vitamins in spinach are practically not destroyed.
• The first folate was derived from spinach.
• A large amount of vitamins combined with a low fat and carbohydrate content makes it an indispensable aid for weight loss.
• During a XNUMX-hour stay in a warm room, dangerous nitrous acid salts accumulate in the greenery. Eating such dead leaves can lead to poisoning, especially in children.
• According to earlier studies, 100 grams of spinach contains 35 mg of iron. This data was refuted by German scientists in 1937, and the official refutation appeared in 1981.
• The juicy color of greens indicates a high content of vitamin C.
• Leaves are used for food (phase 5-8 leaves) until flowering shoots appear.
• Spinach is grown in well-drained, fertile soil rich in organic matter.
• Due to its high nitrate content, spinach has been criticized at one time. However, it is precisely due to the content of nitrates that it has beneficial properties.
• Spinach improves aerobic capacity.
• The French call this leafy vegetable the “king,” the stomach broom. In France, spinach grows wherever possible.
• In treatises on spinach, the Arab sages called him “the general among the greenery.”
• In the United States, the cartoon Popeye the Sailor was very popular at one time. After eating a can of spinach, Popeye became strong and invincible. The high popularity of this cartoon popularized the use of spinach and vegetables in general among teenagers.
• In Crystal City, local spinach growers have erected a monument to the sailor Popeye in gratitude for the help provided to the spinach industry. Three of his statues are also installed in the city of Alma, which is the “spinach capital of the world”.
• There is a myth that the appearance of the spinach theme in the cartoon is attributed to the research of Dr. Avon Wolff, who made a typo and indicated the iron content in spinach was ten times the real value. The error was discovered three years later, but information about this typo was made public only 10 years later. However, this is just a myth, cartoons with the sailor Popeye began to appear much earlier than this study.