Eye Food SPINACH
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| POPEYE LOVED SPINACH |
POPEYE, the famous cartoon sailor, owed his great strength to eating spinach. Today, both clinical and laboratory investigations confirm that Popeye was correct in eating so much spinach for strength. Besides, new diet therapy applications have been discovered for this excellent vegetable, such as its protective properties concerning the retina and vision.
PROPERTIES AND INDICATIONS: Spinach is possibly the highest nutritious green leafy vegetables known, although it only contains 22 calories per 100 grams. Its protein content is quiet high for green (2.86%), but it contains little carbohydrates (0.8%) and fats (0.35%).
The nutritive power of spinach derives from its richness in vitamins and minerals,as 100 g of spinach provides:
- Two thirds (672 ug RE) of daily need for Vitamin A (1000 ug RE),
- Practically all (194 ug) of folic acid or folate needed daily (200 ug),
- Half of the Vitamin C (28.1 mg) needed daily (60mg).
- Almost one-fourth (79 mg) of the daily requirement for magnisium (350 mg),
- More than one-fourth (2.71mg) of the daily need for iron (10 mg).
A very precise investigation carried out at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and at Harvard University (USA) shows that persons between 55 and 80 years of age who regularly eat spinach present a much lower risk of losing visual acuity due to macular degeneration.
The protective effects of spinach on the retina is greater even then that of Carrots. This fact has caught the attention of scientist, who attribute it to spinach's high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin. These substances are carotenoid-type vegetable pigments, which although are not converted to vitamin A, as beta-carotene is, do act as potent antioxidants that protect the sensitive cells of the retina.
Regular consumption of spinach is recommended to all who wish to preserve sight, particularly those over the age of 50.
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| SPINACH |
Anemia: Spinach contains 2.71 mg of iron/100 g, a proportion greater than that found in meat. Although iron from plants sources is more difficult to absorb than that from animal sources,the presence of vitamin C from the spinach itself and from other foods, significantly improves the assimilation of this mineral.
Additionally, spinach is rich in other minerals and trace elements that fosters production of red blood cells within the bone marrow. Fresh spinach juice is an effective way consume it in cases anemia.
Elevated cholesterol level: Experiments with animals have shown that spinach protein inhibit the absorption of cholesterol and bile acids. Its regular use aids in reducing blood cholesterol level.
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