10 Health Benefits of Spinach
Spinach could be considered to be one of the first ‘superfoods’ in the western world. Found originally growing naturally in Central Asia, its popularity soon spread around the world. Its popularity has not waned and it is still considered to be a superfood in healthy living circles today.
Spinach is packed full of nutrition, which helps make sure we are healthy and well. It also contains compounds that offer various health benefits and help keep us strong and full of energy. It can be used in countless recipes and is also used in dishes from across the planet.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #1: Healthy Brain
It is not uncommon for people to begin to lose their mental faculties as they get older. Some of us will just slow down mentally, while others will develop more serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. We still have a great deal more to learn about such conditions, but we are at least making some progress.
Research has shown that eating spinach regularly can help to slow down the advance of brain-related issues in older people. One study, in particular, showed that it could delay mental decline by as much as 11 years when spinach was eaten once a day.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #2: Better Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is a lot easier for some people than others. Many will toss and turn at night, unable to sleep no matter how tired they may be. This can make it very difficult for them to cope the next day and things can get very unpleasant for them indeed if it continues. There are some ways you can encourage sleep, though, and a good diet is one of them.
If you are having difficulty sleeping, you should try to add some spinach to your diet. The vegetable contains magnesium and zinc that can help us to fall asleep faster, and to sleep better.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #3: Full Head of Hair
Many people will find that their hair begins to fall out as they get older. While many of us take it in our stride, we would all generally prefer to keep our hair growing and healthy well into our old age. While we are often helpless to prevent it from falling out, we can try including certain foods that can help.
Our hair needs oxygen if it is to survive and thrive. This means having healthy blood being pumped around the body that is rich in oxygen. Spinach is a good source of iron, as well as folate, which can also help maintain a healthy head of hair.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #4: Energy Boosting
It can be difficult to keep going when you are at work or taking part in any other activity. No matter how hard we might try, it can be difficult to muster the energy and our performance levels can drop. We can try eating certain foods to give us an energy boost, though, and spinach should be top of the list.
Spinach is an excellent source of potassium and magnesium. Both of these help produce energy and control the functioning of our muscles. Spinach can be used in a wide range of recipes that help to give you the energy boost you need whether you are at home or at work.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #5: Healthy Vision
Our eyes are a perfect example of how evolution helps organisms to adapt to their environment. Originating from very simple organs that would just have been able to distinguish light from dark, they can now help us to see in a wide spectrum of colors and in impressive detail.
One drawback of having such useful organs is that we can become dependent on them, and life will become very different without them. Include plenty of spinach in your diet, though, and you will have a source of vitamin A which helps promote good eye health. It also contains zeaxanthin and lutein, which also can help protect your vision.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #6: Strong Bones
A strong and healthy skeleton is very important to our overall health and well-being. If it was to lose its strength then we are more likely to experience fractures. This could severely limit our mobility and could cause a range of other complications. Our skeletons should be taken care of and this means eating the right diet.
Spinach is a very good source of vitamin K, which is important for a healthy skeleton. The vitamin helps make our bones strong, prevent fractures and other injuries. It is a useful addition to the diet for people that are unable to eat dairy products, which also help encourage strong bones.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #7: Healthy Complexion
People all over the world strive for a healthy complexion. For many people, personal appearance is very important and can have an impact on different areas of their lives. A healthy complexion can also give an impression of good health overall, which is also beneficial to us in various ways.
Eating a good, healthy diet can go a long way to giving you a clear and healthy complexion. Spinach contains antioxidants that can help slow the ageing of our skin as well as vitamins and minerals that will help give you a healthy glow. Include some spinach in your diet and you could help make yourself look younger for longer.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #8: Healthy Digestive System
A healthy digestive system allows us to get all the nutrients we need from our food. This gives us the building blocks we need to grow and repair our bodies. It also helps make sure we have all the energy we need to get through the day. We are reliant on it for our nutritional needs and we need to keep it in good health.
Fiber is well-known to help keep the digestive system in good working order, and spinach has plenty of it. Spinach also contains glycoglycerolipids which help protect the lining of the stomach wall from damage and inflammation.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #9: Weight Loss
Your key weapon in the fight against excess weight is to balance how many calories you are eating with how many you are burning. Exercise helps in this regard because it increases the rate at which calories are burned off. Just as important, though, is to limit the calories in your diet and spinach is very helpful with this.
Spinach itself is low in calories, which helps limit your calorie intake directly. What’s more is that it is full of nutrients which help ensure you get the nutrition that will help keep you healthy and well. What’s more is that spinach helps you to feel full, and for longer, which helps prevent the temptation to eat more.
Health Benefit Of Spinach #10: Strength
When many of us think of spinach, Popeye will come to mind. The superhero of days gone by found super-human strength just by eating his favorite meal… spinach. Of course, spinach does not really give people super-human strength, but it does help make us stronger to some degree.
Spinach contains nitrates that help to give a boost to the production of protein in muscles. This helps to increase their strength and efficiency. Spinach is commonly found in the diets of weightlifters and other athletes that are trying to gain muscle strength. Its low-calorie content can also help people that wish to eat a healthy diet overall.
