Leafy Spinach and its health benefits

0
1652
Sending
User Rating 0 (0 votes)

Food is the basic requirement of every living being. Without this, one can’t survive in a healthy and well-being state. Whether it is animals, plants or human beings; everyone require their own type of food to survive on earth.

Vegetables are one of the major food stuffs which are naturally grown and are produced in many forms; as roots, leaves, stem, fruit or bark itself. Here, we will be talking about spinach which is a vegetable in the form of leaves. Its edible part is leaves.

Fresh Spinach leaves
Spinach leaves

Introduction:-

The spinach is a leafy vegetable which has broad green leaves. It is found in different shapes with their own taste and texture. It ranks high among all green vegetables. You must have heard about a cartoon character ‘Popeye’. He is a spinach lover and gets turbo energy by this only! Spinach is found-in many varieties; some possesses small leaves, red leaves, tiny leaves, broader ones and many more.

Popeye eating spinach
Popeye eating spinach

Appearance:-

The leaves are cooling and very nutritive. This vegetable is a cool season annual crop which matures quickly. Spinach is nutritive but is mostly denied by kids and teenagers due to its taste! Spinach has round, very smooth and delicate stem.

The leaves are alternate, fleshy, smooth, succulent and dark green in colour. They are generally 5-8 cm in length and one to one and half cm in width. The bottom of leaf is shiny with thick veins running across.

Spinach of different types
Different types of Spinach

Nutritional elements in Spinach:-

Well, spinach is known as the ‘king of Iron’; apart from this it has many more nutritious elements as listed below-

  • Amino acids
  • Iron
  • Folic acid
  • Vitamin A
  • Carbohydrates
  • Dietary fibres
  • Calcium
  • Phosphorus
  • Vitamin B-complex
  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium
  • Moisture
  • Protein and many more.

It has Calorific value of 17; per 100 gms of edible portion.

Spinach grown in rows
Spinach plant

Curative properties of Spinach:-

Now, we will be talking about the medicinal benefits of spinach. Guys, you have to agree that spinach is one of the cheapest way to gain health. It has very minimal price but health is very high.

1. For Anaemia-

Spinach is one of the richest source of Iron thus is good for those suffering from anaemia and blood loss. This vegetable is a valuable source of high-grade Iron. After its absorption in the body system, the formation of haemoglobin and blood cells takes place. An anaemic patient should include leafy vegetables like spinach in their daily diet. It is highly beneficial in building up body.

2. For Night blindness-

It is a retinal disorder in which the person is unable to see clearly after evening. It is due to the lack of sight cells present in eyes. Spinach is very helpful to cure this disease. The spinach is particularly rich in Vitamin A; it contains more Vitamin A than most other green vegetables.

This Vitamin promotes growth and health; specially the health of the eyes. One should have spinach in definite proportion on a daily basis. Spinach is thus a kind of veggie remedy for those suffering from Night blindness.

3. For Respiratory disorders-

Monsoon has arrived which brings several viral infections specially of throat. Infusion of fresh spinach leaves with two teaspoon of fenugreek seeds mixed with a pinch of ammonium chloride and honey is an effective expectorant tonic during the treatment of bronchitis, asthma, dry cough and congestion in throat.

4. For Urinary disorders-

In case of any kind of urinary disorder, spinach is a very good remedy. It is cool and light in nature but very helpful to cure such diseases. Fresh spinach juice taken with tender coconut water is a very effective remedy for nephritis, cystitis, scanty urination and many other renal disorders. It must be taken once or twice a day.

5. For Pregnancy and Lactation-

As we discussed, spinach is a good source of folic acid; thus a very effective thing during pregnancy and lactation. During pregnancy a kind of anaemia occurs in many cases; called ‘Megaloblastic anaemia’. It causes malnutrition in the developing foetus. So a pregnant women must have spinach in their daily diet.

Spinach is also good source of nutrition for nursing or lactating mothers to improves the quality of milk. It also provides calcium to mother which is important for both mother and infant health.

So in this way we saw there are multiple benefits of leafy spinach. So kids, dont hesitate to have this vegetable as it is very good for your development. Take care and live well!

Leave a Reply?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.