5 Healthy reasons to include Spinach in your diet

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Kids hesitates a lot to eat Spinach! But this simple-looking veggie can be miraculous for one’s health. Today, we will be telling you 5 reasons to eat spinach daily.

The spinach or Palak is a leafy vegetable, with broad green leaves. It ranks high among all the green vegetables. The leaves are cooling and very nutritive.

How does Palak look?

This vegetable is a cool-season annual crop which matures quickly. It has a round smooth and delicate stem. Spinach is found in different varieties, with different appearances.

spinach
spinach vegetable

The leaves are alternate, succulent, fleshy, very smooth and dark green in colour. They are generally five to eight cm in length, and one to one and a half cm in width.

The bottom of the leaf is shiny, and thick veins running across.

Botanical nameSpinacia olerecea

Indian name– Palak

Origin and distribution:

The spinach is believed to have been first cultivated by Arabs. The Persians cultivated it 2,000 years ago. The Moors or the Blacks took it to Spain from where it spread to other parts of the world.

The word Spinach actually comes from the Spanish word ‘Hispania’. In India, it grows in great abundance. This crop thrives best in the cooler and moist climate. High humidity and cool temperature are conducive to the rapid growth of succulent, tender foliage.

Food Value of Palak:

Spinach is rich in various nutrients such as

  • Amino acids
  • Iron
  • Vitamin and folic acid
  • Protein
  • Carbohydrates
  • Calcium
  • Phosphorus

It is one of the cheapest vegetables which supplies the same amount of protein as one gets, from same quantity of meat, fish, eggs and chicken.

Uses of Spinach/Palak:

spinach in Indian cuisine
spinach in Indian cuisine

Spinach is often cooked as a soft vegetable. In different cuisines, it has different uses and cooked in different ways. In India, it is mostly cooked as spinach curry, palak soya and many more. Many people prefer it in steamed form, with pasta, salads and many more.

Spinach is often cooked as soup, which is very nutritious and healthy one. Small and tender leaves of spinach can be used as a raw salad.

Precaution before using Spinach:

Spinach contains a small amount of oxalic acid, which is insoluble in the fluids of the alimentary tract and is harmful in gout and liver disease. Therefore, it should not be used by those suffering from these ailments.

Now, we shall be talking about the health benefits of Spinach. The leaves of spinach are demulcent or soothing agents, refrigerant or coolants, diuretic and mild laxative.

Health benefits of Spinach:

1. Prevents and Treats Anaemia

Spinach is one of the valuable sources of high-grade iron. In addition, it also contains Vitamin C in it, which makes it easily absorbed in the system. It results in the formation of haemoglobin and red blood cells. It is thus highly beneficial to prevent and treat anaemia.

2. Remedy for Constipation

Spinach juice is very beneficial to treat constipation. It cleanses the digestive system, by removing the accumulated waste. It nourishes the intestines and tones up their movements. Therefore, it is an excellent remedy for constipation.

3. Very good during Pregnancy

As the richest source of folic acid, spinach is very valuable food during pregnancy. During pregnancy, anaemia is very common. Regular use of spinach is very good to prevent the deficiency of Iron and Folic acid. Thus a pregnant woman must include spinach in their diet.

4. Treats Night Blindness

Spinach is particularly rich in Vitamin A. It contains more Vitamin A than any other green vegetable. This vitamin promotes healthy growth of the eyes. Lack of Vitamin A leads to night blindness. Thus spinach is very good to prevent and treat night blindness.

5. Aids in Urinary disorders

Fresh spinach juice should be taken with tender coconut water, once or twice a day. It is the combination of nitrates and potassium, thus a safe diuretic. It can be given to the patients suffering from scanty urination, nephritis and cystitis. It treats dehydration thus very good for such urinary disorders.

In this way, we saw the health benefits of Spinach. Hope you like the article, share it to all and spread the awareness. Take care and live well!

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