Superfood spinach- Star of Green Leafy Vegetables. Spinach in Hindi is Palak, and its biological name is Spinacia oleracea. If you are not a fan of this green leafy vegetable, make sure to read our post to the end, we are sure you will become one after reading the palak benefits.
Superfood spinach is considered one of the healthiest green leafy vegetables and is native to Western and Central Asia. Low in calories, this green leafy vegetable is packed with nutrients and antioxidants, which benefit your health in various ways.
You can consume palak either raw as salad or cooked. Either way, it is delicious and healthy. It can be steamed, blended in delicious and nutritious shakes and soups, cooked to healthy recipes, and added to other dishes.
This green leafy vegetable is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, iron, magnesium, and manganese. Consuming this veggie improves your blood glucose level, benefits eye, and bone health, reduces cancer risk, and many more, which we will be discussing in the later part. Let’s first go through spinach’s nutritional value.
Spinach Nutritional Value
Raw spinach is 91% water. As per USDA database entry, 100 gm of raw spinach contains:
| Energy | 23 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 3.6 g |
| Dietary Fibre | 2.2 g |
| Protein | 2.9 g |
| Fat | 0.4 g |
| Iron | 2.71 mg |
| Calcium | 99 mg |
| Magnesium | 79 mg |
| Potassium | 558 mg |
Palak is a rich source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, magnesium, and folate and a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, vitamin E, calcium, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Even though raw spinach is high in iron and calcium, its high oxalate content blocks the iron and calcium absorption in the stomach and intestine. However, cooked palak has a lower oxalate level, which makes its digestion easy, and its nutrients also get absorbed completely.
Spinach/ Palak Benefits
Palak Benefits 1: Good For Eyes
This green leafy vegetable contains lutein and zeaxanthin, yellow carotenoid antioxidants, which protect your eyes. These two antioxidants accumulate in the retina of your eyes and protect your eyes from free radical damage.
Additionally, these two carotenoids act as a natural sunblock and protect your eyes from blue light by absorbing excess light energy.
Consuming this veggie also reduce the risk of macular degeneration, cataract, and other eye problem.
Palak Benefits 2: Strengthen your Bones
This nutritious veggie is a good source of vitamin K and calcium, the essential nutrients for good bone health.
Vitamin K improves calcium absorption in your body. It promotes calcification of bone by activating osteocalcin, a protein that promotes calcium accumulation in your bones.
Additionally, its high calcium content helps to strengthen your bones.
Palak Benefits 3: Maintain Blood Pressure
Spinach helps to regulate blood pressure by reducing high blood pressure.
This green vegetable is high in potassium. Potassium helps your kidney to remove sodium out of your system, which in turn reduces blood pressure.
Palak Benefits 4: Promote Heart Health
This green veggie is a heart-healthy food. It contains lutein, which protects your heart by preventing the thickening of arteries thus protects you from heart attacks and strokes.
Alongside, it contains fiber, vitamin B, Folate, and magnesium, which promote a healthy heart.
Palak Benefits 5: Healthy and Glowing Skin
Consuming spinach gives you healthy and glowing skin. It provides you with nutrients and antioxidants essential for healthy skin.
Vitamin A, C, and K improves your skin health and enhance its radiance. And its antioxidant properties protect our skin from skin problems.
Palak Benefits 6: Reduce Cancer Risk
Carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin remove free radicals from your body and protect you from any damage caused by them, including cancer.
Consuming spinach is said to protect you from mouth, esophagus, and stomach cancer.
Spinach Benefits 7: Helps in Weight Loss
If you are planning to reduce weight or are on a weight loss diet, then make sure to include this veggie in your diet plan to achieve your target fast.
Spinach is low in calories and contains a high amount of insoluble fiber, making it a weight-loss food.
Conclusion
Spinach is a nutritious green leafy vegetable, and we have seen that palak benefits us in multiple ways. Try including this veggie in your diet and keep yourself healthy.
We hope you found this post helpful.
If you have any queries, please drop us a comment in the comment section.
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Very informative
Thank you😊
Before your topic only popeye the sailor man give tell us the Nutritional Value and Benefits of Spinach
Thank you. We try our best.