Benefits of spinach and its nutrition facts

Antioxidants are foods that help to reduce oxidative stress and damage in your body by fighting against the action of free radicals produced as a result of several body mechanisms. By having a scavenging action against these reactive oxygen species, antioxidants help to improve your health and minimise the risk of several diseases and disorders.

Researchers have found that spinach is an excellent antioxidant food due to the presence of vitamins like vitamin A and C in high amounts and bioactive compounds and phytochemicals. This means that the inclusion of spinach in your diet will have health-promoting benefits, which will be discussed ahead.

Further, studies have found that the intake of spinach is beneficial for individuals who have excessive oxidative stress that has been induced by high-fat or unhealthy diets. Spinach has been recognised as a potent antioxidant source, which improves the antioxidant status of your body.

This implies that spinach effectively helps to improve the health of your skin and hair by providing with them a lustre and strength.

What’s more is that the intake of spinach caters in the prevention and management of anaemia, particularly the type caused due to iron deficiency. But, it is important that you increase the intake of meat and other non-vegetarian foods to ensure that this iron is effectively absorbed by your body.

Weight issues are very common in the modern times due to an unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle. While losing weight can actually be a daunting task, dietary changes and an increase in physical activity is sure to help you in reaching your goals. The foremost change that needs to be made is the inclusion of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet, which replaces junk and fast food items. And of these natural foods, spinach is the most commonly advised.

Spinach is a perfect low in calorie food, which is high on nutrition. So, it will ensure that you do not suffer from any nutritional deficiencies or weakness while you cut down on some calories. How spinach helps in weight loss is by having an impact on the secretion of satiety hormones, which are responsible for making you feel full after you take a meal. The intake of spinach increases the release of these hormones allowing making you feel full earlier. As a result, you will binge lesser and will be able to cut down on some calories, thereby losing weight.

Along with the management of obesity, the intake of spinach also helps to prevent health conditions that could be caused due to an excessive weight like high blood pressure or diabetes.

(Read more: Weight loss foods)

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Diabetes is characterised by an elevation of blood sugar levels beyond normal ranges. As simple the problem may seem, it actually has debilitating effects on your health having an impact on every body system and is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders. Since diabetes is not reversible, it is better to take measures in advance that cater to prevent this condition. A healthy diet and lifestyle form pillars of this management.

Concerning this, studies have found that the intake of spinach helps to prevent diabetes and even insulin resistance. This implies that the intake of spinach leaves improves your body response to insulin thereby reducing blood sugar levels. This is said to have occurred due to an improvement in the status of nitric oxide.

High blood pressure may not have pronounced symptoms of its own but certainly has a poor impact on the health of your heart. It is known to increase the risk of atherosclerosis and stroke. However, it is possible to manage blood pressure even for hypertensives with the help of dietary measures. The inclusion of leafy greens in your diet can be one step in that direction.

Studies on spinach indicate that this food has a significant role in the management of elevated blood pressure when employed as a targetted approach. Within 7 days, an improvement in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was noted in research participants. This was said to occur due to the intake of dietary nitrates present in spinach leaves.

(Read more: Diet for hypertensives)

Cardiac health is of utmost importance to your overall well-being. It has been well-known that high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are significant risk factors for the occurrence of cardiovascular disorders. While the remaining have already been discussed above in relation to spinach, the hypolipidemic properties of spinach have also been recognised by several studies. When consumed in the diet, spinach has a cholesterol-lowering action.

By having an effect on all risk factors, the intake of spinach helps to improve your heart health and it can thus be a great addition to your diet. Cardioprotective effects of spinach leaves can also be attributed to its rich antioxidant status, which helps in reducing damage to the heart caused due to the activity of free radicals. Further, it has been found that spinach leaves help to improve endothelial function thereby improving heart health. So, get your bowls ready.

Spinach is always recommended in the diet of babies, but what exactly are its benefits for kids? Well, spinach packs a blend of nutrients including several important vitamins and minerals, that can assist in proper growth and development of the baby. Its rich nutritional content also imparts immunity-boosting properties, which can cater to protect young ones from the risk of illnesses and infections. Young kids are generally more prone to diseases and infections because of an under-developed thymus (organ which is responsible for the immune response of the body). Thus, the intake of healthy, nutritious and protective foods is all the more important for your children.

What’s more is that spinach packs ample amounts of calcium, so, it facilitates the proper development of bones, which majorly occurs during childhood and adolescence.

The benefits of spinach have also been found for the eyes in that it helps in improving vision and eyesight due to the presence of vitamin E. So, spinach can be one of the healthiest addition to the diet of young ones.

You must, however, consult your doctor before including it in the diet of very young babies. When feeding spinach for the first time, digestive changes may be noted in children, but if any severe symptoms are observed, it is important that you visit a doctor. You must also note that spinach cannot be added to the diet of very young babies or infants since breastmilk must be the only source of their nourishment. The only way of including spinach in the diet of infants is by increasing maternal intake of this food so that its nutrients reach the baby via breastmilk.

(Read more: How to increase appetite in children)

Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases. But, even its prevention of cancer is possible with the help of dietary changes. Studies have found that the intake of spinach is helpful in the prevention of cancer since it prevents DNA damage, which is responsible for cellular changes. Plant chloroplast glycoglycerolipids found in spinach leaves have been considered to be responsible for these actions.

MCDG compounds present in spinach have been well-researched and indicated in therapeutic combination for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Cytotoxicity to mutated cells and their apoptosis (planned cell death) has been described as the possible mechanism. So, the inclusion of spinach in the diet can be helpful in the prevention of cancer in the presence of other risk factors.