When you hear the term, “dark, leafy, greens” — spinach may be the first to come to mind. For older generations, spinach equals Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon strip that began in 1929 and went on to become an animated cartoon, then movies, who opened and downed a can of spinach for quick energy and strength among other positive traits.
In today’s world, this dark, leafy, green is known as a “Super Food.” And that is why spinach — and other dark, leafy, greens — are a required part of healthy school lunch menus and why spinach is the Harvest of the Month selection in Lake and Mendocino Counties in April. Plus, it grows very easily in the winter here.
What makes spinach so super? Well, one cup of fresh spinach provides your daily nutritional requirement of vitamin K and vitamin A, nearly all the folate and manganese as well as nearly 40 percent of your magnesium requirement. It also is an excellent source of more than 20 different measurable nutrients, including dietary fiber, calcium and protein.
Speaking of protein, per calorie, spinach is about equal to chicken or fish — although you’d have to eat a lot of spinach to equal the same amount of protein calories as chicken or fish. Just one cup of raw spinach only has 40 calories!
You also may notice when eating a lot of spinach at one time your teeth may feel “gritty.” Why is that? Oxalic acid, an alkaloid found in spinach, forms crystals when combined with the calcium in your saliva as you chew and these crystals coat the teeth, which results in that gritty feeling. Not only spinach, but rhubarb, beets (including beet greens), and kale, are high in oxalic acid as well — and all are nutrient-dense.
From raw, sautéed, steamed, creamed, baked, and boiled — eating spinach is a great way to get your vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
Terre Logsdon holds an Agroecology Design Certificate from UC Berkeley, as well as being a certified Master Composter, she has supported sustainable farming and gardening for many years. She currently serves as the Farm to School Coordinator in Lake County for North Coast Opportunities, Inc.
