Buy fresh leaves featuring dark-green colour, vitality, and crispiness. Avoid those with dull/sunken leaves, yellow discolouration and spots.
Storage :
Once at home, wash leaves thoroughly in clean running water and they should be rinsed in salt water for about 30 minutes in order to remove dirt, and any insecticide residues.
Although it can be stored inside the refrigerator for up to a week, fresh leaves should be eaten at the earliest in order to get maximum nutrition benefits.
Usage :This vegetable is used in different ways of Cooking and even in more areas as a different substitute.
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Loaded with most useful vitamins like Vitamin-A, vitamin-C, vitamin-E and vitamin-K
Minerals
Minerals available are Potassium, Calcium, iron, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.
Nutrition
One cup of raw spinach contains 27 calories, 0.86 grams of protein, 30 milligrams of calcium, 0.81 grams of iron, 24 milligrams of magnesium, 167 milligrams of potassium, 2813 IUs of Vitamin A and 58 micrograms of folate.
Cancer prevention :Spinach and other green vegetables contain chlorophyll which has shown to be effective at blocking the carcinogenic effects of heterocyclic amines which are generated when grilling foods at a high temperature.
Combats Hair Loss :Hair loss is often caused due to the deficiency of iron. This mineral strengthens the hair strands by enabling the blood cells to carry oxygen to the hair follicles. Deficiency of iron causes anaemia which results in hair loss among other adverse effects. Spinach is rich in folate and iron. While folate aids the creation of red blood cells, iron helps them carry oxygen, thus combating hair loss.
Diabetes management : spinach contains an antioxidant known as alpha-lipoic acid, which has been shown to lower glucose levels, increase insulin sensitivity and prevent oxidative stress-induced changes in patients with diabetes. Studies on alpha-lipoic acid have also shown decreases in peripheral neuropathy and/or autonomic neuropathy in diabetics.
Baby Spinach :
Basic Nutrition :A 1-cup serving of raw baby spinach contains just 7 calories, is fat free and contains 1 gram of filling fiber. You may also enjoy your spinach cooked. A 1/2-cup serving of cooked spinach contains 20 calories, 2 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein. In addition, baby spinach is loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin-Rich :Baby spinach is high in vitamin A, vitamin K and folate. One cup of raw spinach provides more than the daily value for vitamin K, which is important for proper blood clotting. Likewise, that same serving contains more than 50 percent of the daily value of vitamin A. Vitamin A is necessary for healthy vision, immune function, and skin and bone health. A 1-cup serving also contains 15 percent of the daily value of folate. Folate is a vitamin that is especially important for woman of childbearing age, because it helps to prevent neural tube defects in developing babies.
Meeting Your Minerals Needs :As for minerals, baby spinach is a moderate source of potassium, copper, iron and magnesium. A 1-cup serving of raw spinach provides you with 4 percent of the daily value for potassium and 8 percent of the daily value for magnesium. In addition, a serving of baby spinach contains 5 percent of the daily value of iron. Iron is essential because it is part of all cells and is responsible for carrying oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body's organs and tissues
Asthma prevention : The risks for developing asthma are lower in people who consume a high amount of certain nutrients. One of these nutrients is beta-carotene, of which spinach is an excellent source. Apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, pumpkin and carrots are also rich sources of beta-carotene.
Bone health : Low intakes of vitamin K have been associated with a higher risk for bone fracture. Adequate vitamin K consumption is important for good health, as it acts as a modifier of bone matrix proteins, improves calcium absorption and may reduce urinary excretion of calcium.
Anti-inflammatory :The high alkalinity properties in spinach makes it the perfect choice of food for people suffering inflammatory ailments, like osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Acidosis :Its alkaline minerals are essential for cleaning out the tissues and maintaining the alkalinity of the blood, making it effective in combating acidosis.
Eye problems : The abundance content of vitamin A and carotenoids help prevent age-related eye problems. When combined with endive and carrot juice, it effectively helps prevent macular degeneration, night blindness, and the development of cataracts.
Lowering blood pressure :Because of its high potassium content, spinach is recommended to those with high blood pressure to negate the effects of sodium in the body. A low potassium intake may be just as big of a risk factor in developing high blood pressure as a high sodium intake.
Osteoporosis :The high content of vitamin K is essential in anchoring calcium in bones, making it important to bone health.
Promotes regularity :Spinach is high in fibre and water content, both of which help to prevent constipation and promote a healthy digestive tract.
Healthy skin and hair : Spinach in high in vitamin A, which is necessary for sebum production to keep hair moisturised. Vitamin A is also necessary for the growth of all bodily tissues, including skin and hair. Spinach and other leafy greens high in vitamin C are imperative for the building and maintenance of collagen, which provides structure to skin and hair.
Bleeding gums :Spinach juice when combined with carrot juice, effectively restore this disorder caused by deficiency of vitamin C and too much consumption of refined sugar.
Pregnancy and lactation : Being a rich supplier of folate and iron, spinach juice provides the required nutrients that are necessary for the development of the foetus, preventing threatened abortion and accidental hemorrhage. Consumption of spinach juice also improves the quality and quantity of the lactating mother.
Digestive tracts :The high fibre content in spinach makes it a remarkable intestinal tract scrubber. It cleans out the system by removing the accumulated wastes in the digestive tracts by its mildly laxative effect. More importantly, it also repairs, heals and nourishes the tracts and tones up their functions. An excellent help for constipation, colitis, poor digestion or stomach ulcers.
Lowers Hypertension :Hypertension or high blood pressure is responsible for causing kidney disease, heart ailments and stroke. Consuming spinach is beneficial in lowering hypertension as some of its constituents help to reduce stress and anxiety. The nutrients play a critical role in keeping the balance of Na- K pump by lowering the K (potassium) in your body. Vitamin C also plays an important role in lowering hypertension.
Skin healing :Drink spinach juice with other vegetable juices mixed in the following proportions, 1/2 tomato,1/2 cucumber, 1 carrot, 1 celery, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 cup cabbage, 1 green onion and a handful of spinach. Blend these ingredients to get the juice and drink it daily. This is effective for skin healing
Cures Acne :To get rid of acne, you can make a face mask by blending spinach with little water and applying it on your face for 20 minutes. This will remove dirt, oil and inflammation from your skin, thus refreshing and rejuvenating it from within.
Reheating of spinach left-over may cause conversion of nitrates into nitrites and nitrosamines by certain bacteria that thrive on pre-prepared nitrate-rich foods, such as spinach and many other green vegetables. These poisonous compounds may be harmful to health, especially in children.
Phytates and dietary fibre present in the leaves may interfere with the bio-availability of iron, calcium and magnesium.
Because of its high vitamin K content, patients taking anti-coagulants such as "warfarin" are encouraged to avoid spinach in their food since it interferes with drug metabolism.
Spinach contains oxalic acid, a naturally-occurring substance found in some vegetables, which may crystallize as oxalate stones in the urinary tract in some people. People with known oxalate urinary tract stones are advised to avoid eating certain vegetables belonging to Amaranthaceae and Brassica family. Adequate intake of water is therefore advised to maintain normal urine output.
It may also contain goitrogens, which may interfere with thyroid hormone production and can cause thyroxine hormone deficiency in individuals with thyroid dysfunction.
Caution :Spinach is one of the foods that is most commonly associated with allergies. Probably because of its very tightly-packed nutrients. Any one of its agents could trigger an allergy in a person who happens to be allergy to something.
About the Vegetable :Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a wonderful green-leafy vegetable often recognized as one of the functional foods for its wholesome nutritional, antioxidants and anti-cancer composition. Its tender, crispy, dark-green leaves are one of the favorite ingredients of chefs all around the planet. Spinacia plant grows about 1 foot in height. Although, it can be grown year round, fresh greens are best available just after the winter season in the Northern hemisphere from March through May and from September until November, in the South of the equatorial line.
Scientific / Binomial name :Spinacia oleracea
Popularly Known as :Paalakura, Paalakoora, sabaanix, Palong Shak, spinazie,épinards, Spinat, Palak, Bayam
Usage :
Fresh, tender spinach leaves (baby spinach) can be eaten raw either in salad and vegetable burgers or as juice. Antioxidant properties may decrease significantly on steaming, frying and boiling for longer periods.
Along with other vegetables, its leaves are used in the preparation of noodles, pie, pasta, pulov, and soups as well as in the preparation of baby-foods.
In India and Pakistan, where it is popular as "palak", spinach features in variety of delicious cooking such as palak-paneer (cottage cheese), aaloo-palak (with potato), fried rice, chicken and meat preparations.
In India and Bangladesh spinach is mixed with other seasonal greens like goosefoot (chenopodium album), fenugreek, mustard greens, Malabar spinach (Basella alba), etc., to prepare "saag" which is eaten with unleavened bread (roti), and rice.
