78. SPINACH

                                                   SPINACH

Nutrition in 100 gm (Raw)
Energy: 23 kcal
Carbohydrates	3.75 gm
Sugar	0.43 gm
Dietary fibre	2.4 gm
Water	91.21 gm
Fat	0.26 gm
Proteins	2.97 gm
Vitamin A	10481 µ gm
Vit B1 (Thiamin)	0.095 mg
Vit B2 (Riboflavin)	0.236 mg
Vit B3 (Niacin)	0.49 mg
Pantothenic acid (Vit B5)	0.145 mg
Vit B6	0.242 mg
Vit B9 (Folate)	146 µ gm
Vitamin C (Absorbic acid)	9.8 mg
Vitamin E	2.08 µ gm
Calcium	22 mg
Iron	3.57 mg
Magnesium	87 mg
Phosphorus	56 mg
Potassium	466 mg
Zinc	0.76 mg

Palak or spinach is mostly used in the cooked form in curry. It is also used raw in salad. Children, who love reading or watching the popeye cartoon, will be most familiar with spinach. Spinach makes him very strong.

Raw spinach is very rich in vitamin C, A & B, calcium, iron and potassium. It is a very healthy vegetable whether eaten raw or cooked.

Spinach contains high amount of lutein, which is a carotenoid chemical.

Spinach contains higher level of iron than any other vegetable. But this iron is of the non-blood (non-heme) type and hence it is poorly absorbed by the body unless eaten with calcium. The absorption increases if eaten with food containing calcium and vitamin C. But spinach contains high levels of oxalate. This makes the iron in spinach unavailable to the body. Due to this 90% of the iron in spinach is lost in urine.

Spinach itself contains calcium but it is bond by oxalate reducing its absorption. Oxalate is one of the causes of gout and kidney stones. Of course there are so many other causes like meat, excess calcium, less exercise, excess fibre, etc.

Spinach still has a large amount of nutrients when fresh, steamed or quickly boiled. Cooking spinach reduces the folate by 50%. Spinach is a good source of vitamin B2, B6, C, K & A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, Calcium and potassium. It is also a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, niacin and selenium.

There are different types of spinach like Savoy, Flat/smooth leaf spinach and Semi-savoy.

Benefits:

1. Anaemia: Drinking 1 to 2 glasses of spinach juice is good for anaemia. Spinach is rich in iron.

Danger: Reheating spinach leftover can lead to the formation of poisonous compounds due to some bacteria that live on nitrate-rich food.