This leafy green vegetable may not be as popular with everyone as it is with Popeye and me, but it's definitely a nutritional powerhouse deserving of its own National Day. Spinach is a low-calorie superfood that's chock full of nutrients. Even if you don't like the taste, there are still a number of tasty ways to add spinach to your diet.
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Some spinach facts you might not know
Folklore doesn't have much to say about spinach. There aren't any historical myths, fairy tales, or recorded uses for this vegetable. However, like other leafy vegetables, spinach was traditionally sown on days when the moon is in Pisces, Scorpio, or Cancer in order to guarantee an abundant production of lush green leaves.
According to the USDA, the Northeast and the West consume the most fresh spinach, while the South eats the most canned spinach.
Types of spinach
1. Savoy spinach has dark green, wrinkled, curly leaves. This is the type sold in bunches in grocery stores in the United States.
2. Flat or smooth-leaf spinach has broad, smooth leaves that are easier to clean than savoy.
3. Semi-savoy is a hybrid variety with slightly crinkled leaves.
Myth vs. fact
In 1870, Erich von Wolf, a German chemist, decided to analyze the amount of iron found in spinach as well as a number of other vegetable greens, such as collards and kale. When recording his findings, he accidentally misplaced a decimal point, changing the iron content in his results by an entire order of magnitude. While there are approximately 3.5 milligrams of iron in one cup of spinach, the erroneous amount of 35 milligrams per serving became the accepted fact.
Once the incorrect number was printed, spinach’s nutritional value became legendary. When Popeye was created, the executives at Paramount Studios recommended he eat spinach for strength because of its highly acclaimed health benefits. Popeye's endorsement increased American spinach consumption by approximately one-third.
The error was corrected in 1937 after someone rechecked the numbers. But by that time, it had become a widely accepted fact.. The error was so widespread that in 1981, the British Medical Journal made the decision to publish an article discussing the erroneous spinach report in order to debunk the issue once and for all.
Good for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more
Versatile spinach can be served at any meal, including breakfast. It makes a healthy nutritional drink or smoothie and a lovely soufflé.
Malabar spinach
Basella alba is an edible perennial vine that grows well in full, direct sunlight in hot, humid climates. Also known as Ceylon spinach, it is used in a variety of curries and sauces. It's also used in Chinese cuisine, stir-frys, and soups. Historically, Basella alba 'Rubra' has been used to make red dye.
(Above: Red Malabar spinach on my deck)
Nutritional value
Botanically known as Spinacia oleracea, spinach belongs to the Amaranth family and is related to quinoa, Swiss chard, and beets. It's low in calories and a good source of vitamins A, C, K, as well as minerals such as iron and manganese.
A versatile vegetable, it can be eaten raw in salads, steamed, blended in soups, and sautéed with other veggies.
Among other health benefits, eating this leafy green veggie may benefit eye health, lower blood pressure, and reduce oxidative stress.
Whether or not you like spinach, it's definitely one veggie to include in a healthy diet.
(Farmer's market in the Hamptons, New York; photo by Marius Watz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0))
