10 Reasons Why You Should Eat Spinach at All Ages and Stages!

Spinach!  I n the Beginning…

• Spinach is so valuable for every stage of life as it is packed with vitamins, minerals (manganese, zinc, magnesium potassium, iron, and calcium) and phytonutrients.

• Folate is also found in spinach. In pregnant women, it  is essential for the growing foetus to ensure proper development of the nervous system.

• As children are growing up, most of them love to play outdoors, and older ones often join in with sports.  CQ 10, an anti oxidant, is present in spinach and this strengthens muscles, including those around the heart, thus supporting blood flow…very necessary during baseball, swimming, cheerleading and all the activities children enjoy.

Juggling Career & Family / Climbing the Corporate Ladder

• Spinach is in high potassium and low in sodium. This composition of minerals is beneficial in preventing or dealing with the high blood pressure that may accompany too many years of juggling career and family or climbing the corporate ladder – two pursuits that leave little time to stop and smell the roses.  Potassium’s reputation for lowering blood pressure in combination with the low sodium makes spinach a great natural choice for lowering blood pressure.   The folate in spinach also helps reduce hypertension and relax blood vessels.

• As we all deal with the challenges of the economy, many business people may develop ulcers and once again, spinach comes to the rescue as it has the ability to protect the membrane of  the stomach thereby decreasing the likelihood of gastric ulcers.

• Spinach is a rich source of beta carotene, lutein, and xanthene, all of which are beneficial for our eyesight.  It can help prevent  itchy eyes or dry eyes. Great if you have to spend a lot of time on the computer as part of your work.

Later Life: Keeping What You’ve Got

•  Spinach as a source of Vitamin K  helps retain calcium in the bones.  Manganese, copper, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus present in spinach also help maintain strong bones and reduce the likelihood of  osteoporosis after menopause, especially in combination with  regular weight bearing exercise.

Senior Years: Keeping them Golden with Greens

• As we come to the later stages of life’s journey we may have to deal with eyesight issues such as age-related macula degeneration (AMD) caused by  the degeneration of lutein and xanthene which form the central part of the retina.  Research conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory showed that  putting spinach  on the menu can result in regaining of the two pigments and preventing AMD effectively.

• The passing years may also present a large percentage of the population with atherosclerosis, a  hardening of arteries. Lutein found in spinach has been shown to reduce the occurrence of atherosclerosis, heart attack, and  stroke as spinach proteins help reduce the cholesterol in the blood vessels. No wonder Popeye could keep going like he did.   

•  Research done at the University of South Florida Center for aging and brain repair that shows that spinach helped the reversal of age related slow down in the ability to learn. If this animal  research leads to more of us including this wonder veg in our diet, their discomfort will not have been in vain. Fingers crossed that more humans put themselves forward to be the guinea pigs of the future when it comes to researching the benefits of super foods like spinach.