Spinach, The Original Health Food

Thanks to good ole Popeye, the babyboomers among us became familiar with the leafy vegetable called spinach which was the secret to the sailorman superhero's incredible strength on-demand. Although the power of the spinach as seen on the cartoon series was not exactly accurate, how it transformed Popeye into a muscle bound strong man gave kids at that time a pretty good idea of the amazing health benefits the vegetable offers. It is the original health food.

 Spinach is a leafy jade green vegetable that aid in the prevention of heart diseases, arthritis, colon cancer, and osteoporosis among others. Doctors have always stressed the importance of eating spinach. Spinach is particularly effective in dealing with bone problems. Because blood formation takes place in the bone marrow, it is necessary to strengthen the bones and spinach happens to be a rich source of calcium needed for the purpose. Aside from calcium, it also contains vitamin K, folic acid and iron. Discussed below are the health benefits offered by spinach.

 The Health Benefits of Spinach

 1. It prevents heart diseases.
 The vitamin A and vitamin C content of spinach prevents the oxidation of cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart diseases. Oxidized cholesterol sticks to the walls of blood vessels thus when this kind of oxidation is prevented, blockage in the arteries is likewise avoided. Heart attacks and strokes are caused by a chemical called homocysteine. Spinach contains folate which helps in converting homocysteine into benign or harmless molecules. Another element present in spinach is magnesium. It helps in lowering high blood pressure and giving protection against different heart diseases.

 2. It improves bone health.
 Spinach plays an important role in the promotion of bone health. The high calcium content of spinach increases bone strength. The Vitamin K in spinach helps in preventing the activation of osteoclasts in excess. It is important to control osteoclast levels as these cause the breakage of bones. Intestinal bacteria convert vitamin K1 into vitamin K2 which aids in activating osteocalcin, a non-collagen protein.

 3.It improves gastrointestinal health.
 Spinach contains vitamin C and beta-carotene which helps keep free radicals from causing damage to colon cells. It also contains folate which is a chemical which prevents mutations and DNA damage in colon cells.

 4. It prevents cancer.
 Spinach contains carotenoid which helps prevent the development of prostate cancer. The kaemferol also present in spinach is helpful in dealing with ovarian cancer. To reduce the risk of cancer, it is good to make spinach a part of one's diet.

 Some people may not like the taste of spinach but there are recipes that are actually very tasty such as creamed spinach, spinach pesto sauce and spinach lasagna making it possible for normally non-spinach eaters to enjoy it and reap its numerous health benefits.