Spinach--nutrition power house

Spinach is World's Healthiest Foods website "Food of the Week." Among the World's Healthiest vegetables, spinach comes out at the top of our ranking list for nutrient-richness. Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients, such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids, that provide you with powerful antioxidant protection. And it only takes 1 minute to cook! Enjoy baby spinach in your favorite salads or make a salad made exclusively of baby spinach.

Wash it, put it in a sauce pan with a lid turn on the heat for a minute or two, then turn it off. Serve with a little butter and salt--delicious. Or use baby spinach raw in salads or in place of lettuce. Goes great with fruit and a sweetened dressing.

“Did you know that spinach is not only a rich source of vitamins and minerals, but researchers have identified carotenoids and at least 13 different flavonoid phytonutrients in spinach that act as powerful antioxidants? Antioxidants combat the free radicals that cause oxidative damage to both cells and DNA. When the researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University tested various fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capabilities, spinach ranked second only to kale among the vegetables tested. The various flavonoids in spinach have been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, and anti-carcinogenic properties, while its carotenoids, such as zeaxanthin and lutein, help fight prostate cancer and protect against eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Since carotenoids are fat-soluble, they are not well absorbed unless fat is also consumed — a ! good reason to add extra flavor and nutrition to spinach by dressing it with extra virgin olive oil. When looking at spinach.s impressive nutritional profile, remember that it also contains many other health-promoting phytonutrients for which daily recommended intakes have not yet been provided, so they are not included in the chart.

“One recent food study has shown that you don't need to worry about the overall status of antioxidants in baby spinach that has been stored and displayed in this way. In this scientific study, the overall nutrient richness of the baby spinach when exposed to constant light was actually higher than the overall nutrient richness of baby spinach leaves kept in total darkness. The period of time in the study was 9 days, and the spinach was kept at 39°F/4°C (a temperature on the lower end of the scale for most home refrigerators). These findings are good news for anyone purchasing baby spinach in "ready-to-eat" containers [which I do]. “