10 Amazing Benefits of Spinach

Become a member | Learn more | Member sign in February 04, 2015 Want to lose weight without giving up your favorite indulgences, like wine and chocolate? Then take advantage of this FREE 7-day Sonoma Diet online membership offer to try it yourself! Click here for more info. 10 Amazing Benefits of Spinach Spinach is the quintessential "green leafy vegetable" so often recommended for overall health. In fact, that's what spinach basically is — big green leaves (though the stems are great too). What's in those leaves borders on the miraculous. Calorie for calorie, spinach is a valuable Power Food. The nutritional benefits are so abundant — and the calories so negligible — you can eat virtually all you want of this amazing plant. Like tomatoes, broccoli, and bell peppers, spinach is a Tier 1 vegetable that you can eat in unlimited amounts during Waves 1, 2, and 3. Spinach is full of pleasant nutritional surprises. It's a natural, low-calorie source of iron, and like broccoli and almonds, it's a rich nondairy source of calcium. The combination of calcium and vitamin K (which spinach also delivers in abundance) promotes bone health and helps prevent osteoporosis. Keep in mind also that along with blueberries and strawberries, the flavonoids in spinach are thought to slow the cognitive decline that accompanies aging. Spinach is also rich in lutein, a carotenoid that a growing body of research has linked to eye health and a reduced risk of age-related vision problems. Like most Sonoma Power Foods, spinach provides a generous and varied supply of antioxidants that fight heart disease by discouraging dangerous oxidation of existing blood cholesterol. But spinach also protects your heart in lots of other ways, making it stand out among heart-healthy foods. For example, spinach is especially rich in folate. Another key recent discovery is the role of inflammation in heart disease. Spinach has well-known anti-inflammatory properties, so it's possible it protects your heart that way. There's also recent evidence that the protein in spinach contains components that help you avoid high blood pressure, a top risk factor for serious heart problems. Members Get More! Sign Up Now! Tomorrow:  Turn Off the Tube  Enjoying this newsletter? Sign up for other free newsletters. More from The New Sonoma Diet! Connie's Tip of the Day The Inflammation Angle One of the most important recent discoveries about heart disease is that it can be caused in part by inflammation. Spinach has well-known anti-inflammatory properties, so it's possible that it provides additional protection for your heart. It certainly helps prevent inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and asthma! Your Sonoma Diet Tools   500 Recipes   Wine Guide   Online Dietitians   Weight Tracker   Message Boards   Shopping Lists Advertisement