Super Foods Part 2: Spinach Craze

Hello all, good morning! Or in Germany I say guten morgen. If you're going to eat a salad I recommend choosing the green leaf; spinach. The nutrients are much higher than Romaine Lettuce.

Grocery Store Tips:
When you're at the grocery store there are different sizes of spinach. I always choose the smaller leaf bunches vs. the bigger leaves because those tend to be more stringy and tough to eat. Always look for a grocery store that places their veggies under the direct light. Those ones will have more nutrients.

To eat raw or cook?
For just a 1/2 cup of cooked spinach gives you more for your diet than 1 cup of raw spinach. Cooked spinach is easier to digest as well. Spinach eases constipation and protects the mucus lining of the stomach, so that you stay free of ulcers.  It also flushes out toxins from the colon. Good to know!

The juice craze part 1
If you're like me you starting to join the juicing trend. I told someone I had started to juice and they said, "What, you're taking steroids? No you’re not!" ...So I guess to in fitness terms, juicing means that. The healthiest way I know to consume spinach is taking it in juice form because it gets in your system faster. The green smoothie as I call it is best taken with other fruits and veggies.

What other fruits and veggies?
There’s a compound in spinach called oxalic acid, which blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. An easy way to solve this problem is to pair spinach with a food high in vitamin C, like mandarin oranges and cantaloupes. Any veggies that are green, like broccoli is a good choice.

What makes it so green?
Spinach is high in chlorophyll, which is found in all veggies that are green. The chlorophyll has been shown to help reduce buildups in your blood stream and helps carry blood throughout your body. So, if you’re always on the go or starting to work out more remember to eat your spinach!

Keep in mind there are 3 ways to have spinach.

1. Raw; in a salad
2. Cooked
3. In a green smoothie

Natalie