Everyone needs to know the benefits of spinach and its harm. Since ancient times, spinach has been known to contain important nutrients needed by the body. However, if this green vegetable is consumed in excess it has a bad effect on health.
Reporting from the Medical News Today page, spinach contains fiber, iron, vitamins, minerals to. Some of these ingredients are believed to be able to maintain a healthy body and prevent various diseases. Of course, these benefits can be obtained by consuming them regularly.
Various Benefits of Spinach
As previously mentioned, spinach offers a variety of health benefits that are a shame to miss. These benefits include:
Relieves inflammation
The high antioxidant content in spinach plays a role in fighting free radicals that can cause inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis. In this disease, inflammation is the cause of joint pain.Boost the immune system
Spinach is also known to be high in vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and magnesium. These various nutrients are known to boost the immune system.Prevent anemia
Spinach is a good source of iron. However, these vegetables also contain oxalate which can inhibit the absorption of iron in the body. To work around this, accompany it with the consumption of vitamin C to help the absorption of iron.Maintain eye health
The content of carotenoids found in spinach, such as beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, are known to be able to maintain eye health and reduce the risk of several diseases, such as night blindness and macular degeneration.Reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease
One of the benefits of eating spinach is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. This is because spinach contains nitrates which can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart problems.Maintain skin health
As is well known, spinach is rich in antioxidants, so it is very good for maintaining and protecting skin health from the inside, especially from exposure to free radicals.Prevent cancer
The high levels of lutein, carotenoids and zeaxanthin in spinach are able to fight and eliminate free radicals from the body. Thus, the risk of getting cancer will decrease.
However, keep in mind that consuming spinach alone is not enough to maintain overall body health. You are encouraged to continue to live a healthy lifestyle, such as exercising regularly, eating nutritious food, and having enough rest.
Tips for Washing and Processing Spinach
In order for the maximum benefits of spinach to be obtained, make sure you process this vegetable properly. Here are some tips:
Choose spinach that still looks fresh.
Wash until the spinach is clean before processing it to remove dirt and germs attached to the leaves and stems.
If you don't want to process the spinach right away, store it in a clean, airtight container and place it in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.
Please note that fresh spinach that has not had time to wash can last up to 4 days, if it is put in plastic and then stored in the refrigerator. Avoid heating cooked spinach, because it can reduce the nutritional content in it.
Apart from paying attention to how to wash and store spinach, make sure your kitchen equipment is free of germs and bacteria. Therefore, don't forget to always wash kitchen utensils using soap and water.
To find out more about the benefits of spinach, you can consult a doctor. Apart from that, you should also limit your consumption of spinach and balance it with other nutrients, especially if you have special medical conditions, such as uric acid or high cholesterol.
In general, what is often consumed is green spinach and spinach that has reddish stems is called red spinach. Find out the ingredients and benefits found in spinach below.
Nutritional Content in Spinach
Spinach contains high fiber. Furthermore, mentioned in the e-book The Miracle of Vegetables, here are the contents of green spinach and red spinach.
The nutritional content of green spinach per 100 grams:
Carbohydrates: 6.5 grams
Calories: 36 kcal
Protein: 3.5 grams
Calcium: 265 mg
Phosphorus: 67 mg
Iron: 3.9 mg
Vitamin A: 6,090 S.I
B vitamins: 0.08 mg
Vitamin C: 80 mg
Water 86.9 grams
Nutritional content of red spinach per 100 grams:
Carbohydrates: 1 gram
Calories: 51 kcal
Protein: 4.6 grams
Calcium: 368 mg
Phosphorus: 11.1 mg
Iron: 2.2 mg
Vitamin A: 5,800 S.I
B vitamins: 0.08 mg
Vitamin C: 80 mg
Water: 82 grams
source
Spinach Side Effects
Mentioned in the e-book Smart Choosing Vegetables by Lanny Lingga, some side effects of spinach, namely:
- Has the Potential to Form Kidney Stone Disease
The side effect of spinach is that it can form kidney stones. Even though it is rich in nutrients, not everyone can eat spinach without restrictions.
The reason is, if consumed too much will cause health problems, because spinach contains allergenic compounds. Where, one of the most dominant allergenic compounds, namely oxalate (oxalate), is the main cause of kidney stones.
What diseases can you not eat spinach? For those of you who often experience kidney disease or disorders, it is advisable to avoid consuming spinach. For elderly men too, you should reduce the portion of spinach consumption.
- Risk of Increasing Blood Pressure
Although spinach is useful for regulating blood pressure, if consumed too much it can actually increase blood pressure. Blood pressure will be directly correlated with the effectiveness of the kidneys.
Therefore, spinach needs to be consumed in reasonable portions. If necessary, when eating spinach you can combine it with other foods that contain lots of calcium.
- Causes Calcium Deficiency
The side effects of spinach are not only harmful to kidney health. If you have too much oxalate, you also run the risk of causing a calcium deficiency.
Most of the calcium consumed will be bound by oxalate. Thus, calcium cannot be absorbed by the body. Hence, when consuming spinach it needs to be balanced with foods rich in calcium.
- Risk of Causing Thyroid Gland Disorders
Another side effect of spinach is that it causes thyroid disorders. The reason is, spinach is known to contain goitrogens (anti-nutrients that cause thyroid gland disorders).
The thyroid gland is a gland that is in the windpipe. Where, if the function of this gland is disrupted, there is potential for swelling of the thyroid or forming a goiter (a disease with symptoms of an enlarged neck).
It can be concluded that, apart from being rich in benefits, it turns out that there are also effects of spinach if we consume it incorrectly or consume it excessively. Excessive here means, eating spinach too often in large quantities.
In fact, spinach can be stored in the refrigerator. However, avoid consuming spinach that has been left too long on the counter or in the refrigerator for more than 5-6 hours.
This is because spinach contains nitrate (NO−3) which when oxidized with air will turn into nitrite (NO2-) which has odorless, odorless, and toxic properties.
The reason why spinach can't be more than 6 hours is because if the longer spinach is stored in the fridge it makes nitrite compounds which are toxic, the levels will continue to increase.
The toxic effect will have an impact on red blood cell hemoglobin. In this case, the nitrite bond with hemoglobin will cause hemoglobin to lose its ability to bind oxygen.
That was information about the ingredients and benefits found in spinach, to the side effects. Hopefully this explanation can add to your knowledge.