THE FAB 13 ~ #8 SPINACH

Today's superfood is the almighty SPINACH! Yes we all hated it growing up, especially in black households, how many of us had to eat spinach out of a can? I'm sure a great percentage of us did and that disgusting, sitting in a can of some kind of liquid, no flavor, a bunch of additives & preservatives that have proven not so healthy for us. BUT...fresh spinach is another story. It is a story that is chalked full of health benefits that each and everyone of us needs. Spinach is on the list of superfoods and is even at the top of many lists!

**High in protein – go figure! The highest vegetable protein around! This was a big surprise to me. One cup spinach = 12% DV protein.
**Super duper high Vitamin A
**High Vitamin K – second only to cauliflower
**Great source of folate/folic acid, particularly important for pregnant or nursing women
**Over 25% DV of magnesium, iron, potassium, Vitamin C and manganese
**Decent source of fiber
**Carotenoids and flavonoids responsible for much listed below
**Protects against heart disease (for multiple reasons!); makes muscles (especially the heart) stronger
**Anti-diabetes
**Regulates blood pressure
**Important for development of unborn babies
**Protects against age-related memory loss
**Eye health: prevents cataracts, macular degeneration (age-related blindness)
**Cancer-fighting
**Anti-inflammatory (how many issues can this trait treat? Arthritis is just one…)
**Strong bones/anti-osteoporosis
**Good for skin health (eczema, acne, psoriasis) and even preventing skin cancer from the sun
**Natural diuretic and laxative (fights constipation)
**Reduce frequency of migraine attacks

Cooking fresh spinach releases beta-carotene and lutein, it also neutralizes oxalic acid or oxalate, a compound that inhibits the absorption of both calcium and iron. This is why you don’t reuse the cooking water from spinach. It’s recommended that you boil spinach quickly – just for a minute!

Vitamin C and folate are both very heat-sensitive, so to obtain the maximum benefits of these compounds, just add a handful of fresh spinach leaves in your salads.
If you are very prone to kidney stones, you may want to focus more on cooked spinach, because oxalic acid is a major factor in kidney stones.