Spinach is one of the favourite vegetables of the winter season. The green and leafy vegetable is quite versatile and can be used for various recipes like parathas, puris, soups, dals, curries, and daily vegetable recipes. Every Indian household will have spinach in at least one meal of the day and a constant reason for children to nag.
But if only children knew the benefits of eating spinach. But for the mothers- there are plenty of spinach recipes to try so that children can enjoy the benefits and taste of the seasonal vegetable.
Spinach is a superstar green and leafy vegetable with low calories and lots of nutrients that are good for your body in several ways. You can add it to smoothies or chilled salad, eat them after steaming or sautéing it as a side dish. You can even blend it into baked goods, like brownies.
Spinach has several health benefits due to its high vitamins and antioxidant content that protects us from chronic diseases, promoting brain, cardiovascular, and eye health. Let's know about the benefits in detail.
Disease Protection
Spinach is rich in various vitamins and minerals, especially antioxidants which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties and potential to protect against diseases.
Some antioxidants in spinach include kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, and isorhamnetin – also known as flavonoids. According to the Department of Agriculture, flavonoids are compounds that provide protection against cancer, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases.
According to the journal of Food & Function, the protective effects of spinach can reduce oxidative stress thus positively influencing gene expression, boosting metabolism, preventing inflammation. Additionally, these compounds trigger satiety hormones that make you feel full for longer.
Thus, eating spinach may help curb chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Promotes Brain Health
The anti-inflammatory properties of spinach make it an important vegetable for protecting the brain, especially against ageing.
According to research in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, a significant decrease in the rate of cognitive decline was witnessed among those who consumed larger amounts of leafy green vegetables.
The research also indicated that people eating one to two servings of spinach daily had the same cognitive abilities as those approximately 7.5 years younger than their actual age.
Helps Manage Blood Pressure
Spinach is a rich source of nitrates, which are naturally-occurring chemicals. Nitrates cause the blood vessels to dilate, thus improving blood flow and reducing stress on the heart.
According to research in the Journal of Nutrition, blood nitrate levels of people increased after consuming spinach drinks regularly.
The spinach drink also lowered blood pressure. Diastolic blood pressure remained low for five hours after consuming the spinach drinks.
It Promotes Eye Health
Spinach also contains an antioxidant called lutein that helps reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). According to the National Eye Institute, AMD is an eye disease that results in blur eyesight thus creating problems in reading and writing. It's a leading cause of vision loss for people above 55 years.
According to research, 75 grams of frozen spinach contains 10 milligrams of lutein and regular consumption of lutein-rich spinach increases the consumer's blood lutein levels thus increasing the measures of macular pigment optical density.
The macular pigment acts like internal sunglasses to protect the eyes and lower the MPOD, greater the risk for AMD.
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