Wilson Pon
archilles
JessiccaSpinach Goodness
September 7th 2007 06:22
Remember the cartoon “Popeye The Sailor Man” that most of us used to like the watch in the cartoon series?
Remember at the brink of dangerous hour bullied by Bruce he will pop up a can of Spinach and you can see his muscles grow strong and set justice right with all his new strength like a super-hero?
Well, indeed that this can be one of the great cartoons that actually encourage kids to eat their green, but how far do we know about Spinach, even though it’s now popular across most nations?
About Spinach
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a flowering plant in the family Amaranthaceae, native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), which grows to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular-based, very variable in size from about 2-30 cm long and 1-15 cm broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 3-4 mm diameter, maturing into a small hard dry lumpy fruit cluster 5-10 mm across containing several seeds.
Nutrition Value
In popular folklore, spinach is a rich source of iron. In reality, a 60 gram serving of boiled spinach contains around 1.9 mg of iron (slightly more when eaten raw). A good many green vegetables contain less than 1 mg of iron for an equivalent serving. Hence spinach does contain a relatively high level of iron for a vegetable, but its consumption does not have special health connotations as folklore might suggest. (Wikipedia)
Probably this was caused by a slight decimal point misguidance by Dr. E. von Wolf in 1870, German chemists reinvestigated this "miracle vegetable" and corrected the mistake. It was later described by T.J. Hamblin in British Medical Journal, December 1981.
From the popular folklore, many have overlooked the other good values that the spinach contents, such as spinach actually contains high in Calcium, although it’s value decreases the absorption of the body because of the oxalate content in the spinach. The same applies to iron, as it is bound, leaving a mere 2 to 5 percent of the seemingly plentiful supply available for absorption.
Nevertheless, what makes the Spinach still popular (especially for Popeye) is its other nutritional values, such as Spinach still contains one of the highest amount of chlorophyll, a fat-soluble substance that stimulates haemoglobin and production of red blood cells and its known to posses a chemical formula remarkably similar to that of haemoglobin. (Oh! Malaysia Health)
Other nutrients such as Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and magnesium are crucial as it plays a part in antioxidants; while potassium in the spinach supports healthy nervous system, aids proper muscle contraction, stabilizes blood pressure, and not to forget regulates the transfer of nutrients through the cell membranes.
So besides the iron, the spinach is still a good food to consume as it also helps constipation patients. I personally know that my housemate who suffers serious constipation had no more problems going to the toilet whenever she has her spinach soup for the day.
| 61 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
subscribe to this blog
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
In and out of fashion, it is very much recommended at present as are all green, leafy vegetables.
Interesting Jessicca,
katyzzz