Popeye and Olive Oil

My Medical Minute

I attended high school in the sixties; graduated in sixty-eight. My mother told me that if I were to come home at lunch time she would make a hot meal for me. I really liked that idea so most of the time I would go home for lunch. The only times that I did not go home for lunch would be the times when I was involved in a badminton match, floor hockey or if there was a big blizzard heading our way next day, then I would take lunch with me.

The TV was usually on and I would sit and watch TV while eating lunch. Invariably I would watch the Popeye cartoons because that would be the only 'good' program on. I do not know to this day what it was about those Popeye cartoons but they became rather addicting. Sometimes I was not sure whether I was going home because of the 'hot lunch' or just to watch the Popeye cartoons. And what was equally numbifing was the fact that I could watch the same old routine day after day and it was just great. I knew that Popeye would get himself into a jam of some sort, Olive Oil would be involved and Popeye would need some spinach in order to save the day.

Years later I was discussing the Robin Williams movie with a friend and we somehow got on the topic of spinach and olive oil. His remark to me was that the health benefits were what the cartoons were really all about. I wasn't so sure, I thought they had more to do with the overcoming of injustice in our society. Who came up with the Popeye cartoons in the first place and what were their motivations?

A few years after this I had cause to investigate the goodness of olive oil and I became so impressed that I put olive oil in my diet on an every day basis and so it is to this day. Shortly thereafter I discovered spinach and what a blockbuster this is. It would take less paper to write down what spinach does not have. I try to include spinach at least once a week but it would be better twice!

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Tags: Popeye, Olive Oil, Spinach, Robin Williams, blockbuster.

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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