Is this bad? According to a study published in Neurology, participants who ate high levels of leafy greens like spinach were found to be 11 years younger in brain age than those who ate low levels of greens. It also has anti-inflammatory properties, equipping it to battle your body's inflammation. As, Healthline noted, people with diabetes often have low levels of magnesium in their blood because it gets passed through urination. Spinach and other leafy green veggies are high in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which have been shown to play a major role in eye health and the prevention of cataracts. Chowing down on spinach has been found to have powerful anti-dementia effects. Spinach is packed with essential vitamins that offer many health benefits. Nitrates, another component of spinach, further protects against inflammation, as stated by a study published in the Nutrition Reviews journal. Additionally, dementia and Alzheimer's disease have both been linked to inflammation, according to a study in the Neurobiology of Aging, but thankfully spinach is well-equipped to battle inflammation. In a study done by Freie Universität Berlin, athletes who took pills with this hormone saw a significant increase in muscle mass. Although there is not yet a cure for dementia, steps can be taken to prevent it. 3. Spinach is a healthy and nutrient-rich food you should certainly include in your everyday diet. Eating raw spinach every day could especially be important for delaying cognitive decline, according to some research. But what we eat also affects us in the long term. Another study on nitrates published in the Frontiers in Physiology journal found that taking a supplement with nitrates develops the fibers in your muscles. Eating spinach, and therefore consuming lutein, however fights that inflammation and cholesterol cycle. One hundred grams of spinach contain 19 percent of your daily value of magnesium, so this food can help combat depression and promote good mental health. Impressive! This is believed to be due to their high level of carotenoids, the pigments that give vegetables and fruits their color. Best Way to Eat Spinach? Although there is no scientific evidence stating that eating a lot of it guarantees you beautiful skin, spinach is jam packed with nutrients needed for healthy skin cells and to fight skin's aging process. In fact, the leafy green is considered an "antidepressant food," as stated by a study published in the World Journal of Psychiatry. That's just another reason to choose spinach! Inadequate amounts of magnesium have been linked to a reduction in serotonin levels. According to the Mayo Clinic, this condition happens when cholesterol and other materials accumulate in arteries. The spinach diet is a straightforward approach to incorporating one of the healthiest, nutrient-rich foods available into your daily meal planning. September 12, 2016 By Corey B. You may hate spinach, but it is a wonderful source of iron, folate, chlorophyll, Vitamin E, magnesium, Vitamin A, fiber, plant protein, and Vitamin C. Due to their antioxidant abilities, Vitamins C, E, and A are especially great for your skin. Foods containing vitamin C likely lower your risk of esophagus cancer. Specifically, magnesium, which can be found in spinach, helps stave off depression. It's not yet fully understood how these antioxidants protect the eyes, but when the number of Americans with cataracts is estimated to hit 30.1 million by 2020, including eye-friendly foods like spinach in your diet is a great idea. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach have powerful cancer-fighting properties. The blood pressure reducing property of spinach is mainly because of its nutrient dense nature. And, as if that weren't enough, the glycolipids in spinach can also fight inflammation, a 2015 study published in ACS Chemical Biology concluded. The site explains how kidney stones develop, writing: "Kidney stones form when certain chemicals become concentrated enough in the urine to form crystals." The good news is that it usually takes a large amount of it to cause this uncomfortable side effect. Fortunately, upping your magnesium intake will make you feel happier as it affects your level of serotonin, a brain chemical linked to mood. 1/4 of that, and not every day, would be enough. Eating spinach every day is an inarguably healthy habit. Oxalate, like that found in spinach, is a common culprit. The high amount of vitamin C in spinach (100 grams per serving, nearly half your daily value) is also a plus in terms of cancer prevention. Ingesting magnesium every day through diet, on the other hand, doesn't pose the same risk because your body is able to dispose of any extra. The most common spinach variation in grocery stores, both fresh and frozen, is flat or smooth-leaf spinach. Regulating blood pressure is also how potassium prevents stroke. Doing so provides your body with plenty of nutrients, of course. Whether you're a spinach lover looking to find out the benefits of your favorite veggie or someone trying to find out why this green gem gets so much love, here are nine big benefits of regularly eating spinach. There are several reasons to eat spinach. The magnesium in spinach helps solidify the veggie as a superfood. Spinach is fairly high in fiber. You might be surprised at what you find out. A diet high in fiber has numerous benefits. All valid questions, but it’s safe to eat spinach every day — though it benefits to mix things up — and the recommended amount is at least a cup of fresh leaves or half a cup of cooked. | But be sure to include other nutrient-rich foods to vary your vitamin and mineral intake. A mere cup of cooked spinach contains only 41 calories and has exceptionally high levels of … A study in the Atherosclerosis journal found that the more lutein there was in the body, the less inflammation was present. According to Today, magnesium keeps blood sugar regulated, which is important to reduce your risk of developing diabetes. The Best Strength and Power Superset for Athletes, Why Nutrition Isn't About Making the 'Perfect' Choice, Quick Cues to Clean Up Your Kettlebell Swing, A Peloton Bike Probably Won't Get You Your Dream Body. In some cases, gastrointestinal distress can get worse giving rise to mild to moderate diarrhea, along with fever and abdominal pain. There's no question that spinach is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. This is very important. Spinach is at the very top of most superfood lists because the many vitamins and minerals it contains, which give it the ability to help prevent disease and provide a multitude of other nutritional benefits. This is thanks to the glycolipids found in spinach because they help the body make nitric oxide, a natural vasodilator. The phytochemicals in spinach — that is, those remarkable plant chemicals that prevent cancer — impedes inflammation, according to BBC Good Food. Self magazine gives this green, leafy vegetable a score of 91 out of 100 for nutrient balance, meaning that it's well-balanced, complete nutrition. As the research proves, eating spinach every day is great for your heart. I thought I was doing it to get my greens in and be healthy--it's easier to buy prewashed and keeps longer than other greens. In spite of eating almost 6 pounds (3 kilograms) of spinach every day, I was only getting in less than 900 calories per day. One big benefit of spinach is that it's high in omega-3 fatty acids. Is too much spinach actually bad for your health? Spinach not only tastes great but also gives lot many miraculous therapeutic benefits. Bonus: Folate also increases blood flow to the nether regions, helping to protect you against age-related sexual issues. The boosting elements and nutritional benefits that these lively leaves have are beyond the human imaginations. This thickens the blood vessels and makes them rigid, making it difficult for blood to flow from the heart to the body. Many people believe that Spinach is a under rated health food but this video will surely change that. There is some research that the intake of oxalate-rich foods can inhibit mineral absorption. Chan School of Public Health, 6 Awesome Benefits of Eating a Banana Every Day, You Should Eat the Peel of these 12 Fruits and Vegetables, Get Faster for Any Sport With This 12-Week Speed Workout. Omega-3 fats have been showed to help the heart beat at a steady, regular rhythm. Of course, if you eat large spinach salad every day, you can easily up the amount of fiber you're able to consume in one sitting. According to WebMD, collagen prevents wrinkles and promotes skin's elasticity, which essentially means younger-looking skin. Spinach in particular is a potent plant dense in nutrients. Chlorophyll was found to bond to carcinogens and help the body expel them. In order to make sure that your digestive health is tip-top, eating a serving of kale every day can help, according to Amanda A. Kostro Miller, a registered dietitian. The researchers hypothesized that lutein was part of the reason that spinach had this positive effect on the brain. Harvard Health names spinach in their list of "stone-forming" foods. ANTIOXIDANTS Spinach also has many health benefits, and you can easily build it into your meals. That's when things get painful as the stone can lodge there and cause the urine to back up. What other foods have a lot of iron and calcium and other nutrients? However, if we become used to eating spinach everyday, we’ll get the benefits of a pigment called lutein. May Hinder Mineral Absorption. However, you can make sure you're getting enough magnesium by including it in your diet through foods like spinach. How? Microwaving, hands down, is the best way to eat spinach in order to get most out of the spinach and avoid consumption of E.Coli as well. That's the only bad thing that I can think of that spinach might do to you, but otherwise it is a great superfood to eat everyday! And in what ways does it benefit your body? Omega-3 fat consumption has been linked to helping to prevent lupus, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke and cancer, but the strongest evidence to date has to do with heart disease. Antioxidants stop free radicals from damaging cells, which keeps skin healthy, but that protection also prevents cancer from growing, according to Healthline. In case you do not like microwaving spinach, cooking spinach in water is also a good idea. But, eating spinach can help you make your bones stronger and dense due to the presence of vitamin K and calcium in it. An article in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the risk of lung cancer could be slightly reduced by eating carotenoids in food, though the study noted that the findings aren't significant. 100k. Spinach contains antioxidants, which may help protect your skin, according to the Mayo Clinic. Early Specialization vs. Spinach contains chlorophyll, which makes it green (remember learning that in elementary school?). Leafy green vegetables, especially spinach, contain more nutrients than virtually any other vegetable. Ouch! | Your mother was right to tell you to eat your greens: just one portion a day could help stave off dementia Participants (whose average age was 81) who included leafy vegetables like spinach and kale in their regular diets were found to be much sharper than those who did not—even after adjusting for factors such as exercise, family history and education. The body isn't able to digest fiber like it can digest other molecules so the fiber goes through the body intact, according to Harvard T.H. This guide will explore the health benefits of spinach leaves and why its good to put this leafy green on your grocery list. I also exercised during the experiment, but I stuck with low intensity activities (to maximize the fat burn). Find out in this quick insightful video and decide if eating spinach everyday is for you. Personally, I think it's delicious AND nutritious. | Omega-3 fats also lower blood pressure and improve blood vessel function, two other factors that play a major role in heart disease. Spinach is a very low calorie food, a source of … A good way to do this is by eating a healthy diet, including spinach. As the research proves, eating spinach every day is great for your heart. Omega-3 fats are known as essential fats—our bodies cannot make them, so we must receive them from food. Eating spinach every day can actually lower your cholesterol, thanks to its fiber content, according to WebMD. DIET Q: I tried to give blood today and they said my Iron level was too low. Sometimes, this plaque can become a blood clot. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, currently 15 million Americans struggle with major depressive disorder. This causes sodium to build up in the body and when this happens, the body tries to hold onto whatever water it has to balance out the high level of sodium. VEGETABLES On average, the participants who regularly consumed leafy greens were 11 years younger in terms of their mental capacity. Spinach also contains the phytochemical lutein, which is especially associated with lowered inflammation and, thus, a lowered risk of heart disease. Spinach It may be green and leafy, but spinach is no nutritional wallflower, and you know from reading Eat This, Not That!.This noted muscle builder is a rich source of plant-based omega-3s and folate, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.Bonus: Folate also increases blood flow to the nether regions, helping to protect you against age-related sexual issues. However, more water means more blood in the body, forcing the heart to work harder. But that's not lutein's only role in fighting cholesterol. According to Everyday Health, "one cup of spinach contains six percent of your daily value of magnesium." Topics: Specifically, they help protect your eyes from the harmful effects of ultraviolet sunlight. Harvard Health explained that stones happen when calcium mixes with another chemical. Cruciferous veggies aside, spinach is the go-to powerhouse leafy green. | Early Sampling: Which is Better? | These calories come mostly from protein (and a tiny number of them coming from carbohydrates and fats). Two antioxidants contained in spinach benefit your eyes: lutein and zeaxanthin. Eating spinach every day means you'll be taking in a good amount of potassium, which lowers blood pressure, keeps blood vessels relaxed, and helps prevent sodium in salty foods from causing high blood pressure. On the paper I was given, Spinach was one of the main veggies that it recommended to increase Iron. Here's Why, 5 Things You Should Never Do When Ordering a Sandwich, Understand the 3 Key Elements of a Healthy Diet Plan for Athletes, We Ranked The Top 10 Best-Selling Breakfast Cereals Based On Their Nutrition, 5 Delicious After-School Snacks You Can Make in Less Than 7 Minutes. It also has a mild, agreeable taste and can be included in a huge number of recipes. "Researchers believe that carotenoids seem to prevent cancer by acting as antioxidants—that is, scouring potentially dangerous 'free radicals' from the body before they can do harm," according to the AICR website. It's a scary disease and one that is all too common among older Americans. You see, free radicals, a type of molecule, can damage collagen in the skin or even hurt your skin's DNA, Allure explained. Tart Cherry Juice: A Superfood for Athletes. HEART Spinach is incredibly good for you. A single 100-gram serving (as in a typical salad) contains 2.2 grams—nearly 10 percent of your daily value. Aim for 1 cup fresh spinach or 1/2 cup cooked per day. Monaya Oct 11, 2015 at 12:16 am Reply. They said 36 is normal, but not high enough to give blood. Green leafy vegetables are some of the most nutritious and powerful foods that ever existed even though they don’t get the necessary attention they deserve. Popeye was onto something. They fight those free radicals before they can bind to your skin cells and do damage. The lutein found in spinach also plays a role in preventing high cholesterol. Here are 10 of them. The amount of nitrate the mice consumed was equivalent to about 200-250 grams of spinach a day for a human, which is an easily obtainable amount. Join STACK and gain instant FREE access to resources that have helped millions of people jump higher, run faster, get stronger, eat smarter and play better. Well, As Good Food explained, spinach contains carotenoids, a "health promoting" phytochemical, which act as antioxidants. 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