Spinach Slinger

My Medical Minute

And then there's Popeye, good 'ol' Popeye. He had a great memory you know, crystal clear and razor sharp. Only problem was that it was rather short. He had trouble remembering either what spinach did for him or 'where did he leave that can'? Maybe he was like me and really did not like the taste so it wasn't hard to forget. He probably didn't know how to jazz it up with that dark red dressing. Umm so good!

Spinach is just packed full of good things. The big counters are vitamins K and A, manganese and folate. B vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6 are there in varying quantities. Vitamins C and E are present. Minerals such as selenuim, zinc, phosphorous, copper, magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium also show up. It contains tryptophan, protein and omega 3 fatty acids not to mention that it is a good source of dietary fibre.

And not just any dietary fibre either. There are two kinds of dietary fibre, soluble and insoluble. We need both for different reasons. Spinach has the insoluble kind. Insoluble fibres do not dissolve in water. They help prevent constipation because they cruise through the body in just about the same form they entered. This causes the food to move much more quickly through the digestive tract which in turn removes wastes and their harmful effects as soon as possible.

The other big counters are the 2 carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein. If you have a DNA history of age related macular degeneration - ARMD or mac degen - in your family you definitely want these guys in your system. Spinach provides them.

The only downside is oxalic acid which provides the slightly bitter taste and vitamin K. Oxalic acid blocks calcium but if you are taking strontium and calmag to build your bones there will be no problem anyway. Vitamin K creates problems for the correct functioning of warfarin so if you are using warfarin, check with your doctor.

Now let's see, where did I put that package of frozen ...?


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