Spinach is a leafy, green vegetable that is a vital component in many salads. It is extremely good for the human body in some quite surprising ways, and some experts even think it may be the vegetable with the most profound and powerful health benefits. Read on to discover how eating more spinach can improve your quality of life and help you to live for longer.
1) It contains vast amounts of usable protein:
Although it sounds odd, one gram of spinach contains more protein than one gram of steak! Protein is vital for your body in part because it is needed for the growth and repair of your cells. It is also used to produce antibodies, which then go on to defend the body against bacterial and viral infections. More superficially, protein helps to keep the hair shiny and the nails strong.
2) It promotes beautiful skin:
Spinach is an astonishingly rich source of vitamin A, with one cup providing you with almost three times your recommended daily intake. One thing that vitamin A does is promote hydrated and attractive skin by encouraging your skin to retain the right amount of moisture. This moisture retention, in turn, helps to fight skin problems such as acne, premature wrinkles, and psoriasis.
3) It can improve the health of your heart:
The antioxidants in spinach help to keep your heart healthy by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, which (as you probably know) is seriously dangerous to your heart and blood vessels. In addition, a single serving of spinach provides you with around 65% of your daily recommended intake of folate, which helps to rid the body of some of the chemicals that can cause strokes (by converting these chemicals into benign compounds).
4) It is good for your brain and nervous system:
The vast amount of vitamin A found in spinach also helps to keep your entire nervous system healthy, and may help to improve brain function by aiding the synthesis of a particularly important fat that makes up the sheath that encases our nerves. Spinach is thought to be able to protect the brain from early aging and to slow the degradation in mental capability that is unfortunately characteristic of old age. This benefit is associated with all leafy green vegetables.
5) It contains lots of calcium:
Spinach actually contains more calcium than any dairy product. In addition to helping to prevent weak bones, calcium is vital for normal brain and nervous system function. The heart also needs adequate amounts of calcium in order to continue beating at a healthy, regular rate.
6) It can help you to lose weight:
The fact that spinach contains so much fiber means that it will help you feel fuller for longer, discouraging overeating or unhealthy snacking. A cup of spinach contains just forty calories, so if you enjoy the taste then it can be part of a guilt-free and nutritious snack.
7) It can help your body fight cancer:
Spinach contains lots of chemical compounds that may help to rid your body of dangerous cancerous cells. One of these is a group of flavonoids that has been the subject of many scientific studies based around administering spinach extracts. These studies have revealed that the relevant group of flavonoids is protective against oral cancers and prostate cancer. In addition, research conducted in New England has shown that women are less likely to develop breast cancer if they regularly eat spinach, while a different study has shown a link between spinach and a reduced risk of ovarian cancer. The idea that spinach can help to rid the body of cancer is further supported by studies on mice, which show that spinach can slow the progress of stomach cancer.
8. It has anti-inflammatory properties:
Spinach contains large amounts of neoxanthin and violaxnthin, and both of these help to play a role in reducing inflammation in the body. This makes spinach a great addition to the diet if you suffer from arthritis or any other inflammatory disease.
9) It helps to keep your bones healthy:
A cup of boiled spinach will give your body around 1000% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K, which is a vital vitamin when it comes to maintaining strong and healthy bones. Vitamin K also helps to protect your bones from the cells that (if present in excess) can break down bone.
10) It promotes bowel health:
Spinach contains plenty of fiber, which helps to prevent constipation. In fact, just one cup of will give you around 20% of your recommended daily intake of fiber, so if you would like more regular bowel movements then it is a fantastic addition to your diet.
11) It can help you to maintain healthy blood pressure:
Spinach contains a lot of antioxidants that some believe can help to keep blood pressure low. In particular, spinach is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C, manganese, zinc and selenium. The peptides in spinach also inhibit an enzyme associated with high blood pressure.
12) It can help to prevent vision loss:
Spinach contains the antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein, both of which help to protect your eyes from macular degeneration and cataracts (which are common causes of poor sight in old age).
13) It could boost your immune system:
The vast amount of vitamin A in spinach also means that it can play a large role in making sure that your body produces an adequate amount of the white blood cells that fight infections.
As is obvious from these health benefits, spinach is an excellent choice if you want to increase your daily consumption of fruits and vegetables. Ideally, you should eat your spinach raw, so it is a good idea to put it in salads. If you cook your spinach, make sure that you never boil it, because this will get rid of most of the important chemicals associated with the health benefits listed above.
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