Spinach is a very valuable food plant: in terms of protein, it is second only to peas and beans. The mineral, vitamin and protein composition of spinach justifies its name – the king of vegetables. Its leaves are rich in various vitamins (C, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, E, PP, K), provitamin A, iron salts, folic acid. Therefore, this plant is successfully used in dietary and baby food, as a remedy for scurvy and other vitamin deficiencies. A feature of spinach is the content of secretin in it, which is favorable for the work of the stomach and pancreas.
Not so long ago, it was established that spinach is rich in iron salts, and its chlorophyll is close in chemical composition to blood hemoglobin. For this reason, spinach is extremely useful for patients with anemia and tuberculosis.
A young spinach outlet is used as food. The leaves are consumed boiled (green cabbage soup, main dishes) and raw (salads seasoned with mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, pepper, garlic, salt). They retain their valuable nutritional qualities in canned and fresh-frozen form. The leaves can also be dried and, after grinding, used in powder form as a seasoning for various dishes.
But, when eating spinach, it should be remembered that dishes from it, if stored in a warm place, after 24-48 hours can cause poisoning, especially dangerous for children. The fact is that in heat, under the influence of special microbes in food, nitric acid salts are formed from spinach, which are quite poisonous. When released into the blood, they form methemoglobin and turn off red blood cells from breathing. At the same time, after 2-3 hours, children develop cyanosis of the skin, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, and possibly loss of consciousness.
Considering all this, Eat only freshly cooked spinach dishes! And with liver diseases and gout, you can’t even eat freshly prepared spinach dishes.
For your information:
Spinach is an annual dioecious plant of the haze family. The stem is herbaceous, erect, the leaves are rounded, alternate, in the first growing season they are brought together in the form of a rosette. Spinach is grown in the open field of all zones, as it is early ripening, cold-resistant and high enough for a green crop. Products are obtained throughout the summer when sown in 2-3 terms. Spinach seeds germinate already at low temperatures, and in the rosette phase it tolerates frosts down to -6-8 degrees C. The root system of the plant is poorly developed and is located at a depth of 20-25 cm, so it needs high soil moisture. Lack of moisture and too dry air contribute to the rapid aging of the plant. When harvesting, spinach is pulled out by the roots and sold on the same day, preventing the greens from withering.