Weider Nutrition Group - Power Food: Spinach

Power Food: Spinach

Spinach is a nutrient-rich vegetable that provides an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, dietary fibre and many important minerals such as manganese, magnesium, potassium, copper and phosphorus! Find out more about this power food below, and give our spinach recipes a try - you won't be sorry!

Vitamin K - Vitamin K may be one of the lesser known vitamins, but its health benefits should not be overlooked. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in regulating blood clotting. It has also been shown to aid the body in absorbing calcium – a crucial mineral for bone health – so try eating foods rich in vitamin K (such as spinach) along with calcium-rich foods to help increase your calcium absorption.

Dietary Fiber - One serving of boiled spinach contains over 17% of your RDA of dietary fibre. Fibre is a very important part of a healthy diet, offering a wide variety of benefits, such as regulating blood sugar levels, helping to lower cholesterol and helping to protect against heart disease (for more information on the health benefits of fibre, click here).

Minerals - Spinach is a good source of many important minerals, such as manganese, magnesium, potassium, copper, and phosphorus - and these help to protect you against a myriad of potential health issues such as heart attack, stroke, heart disease and hypertension.

Eye Health - Spinach can help to protect and promote eye health. It is very high in vitamin A and carotenoids, in particular Lutein, which is protective against eye disease such as cataracts. To optimize absorption of carotenoids, it’s best to cook spinach before consuming it.

Antioxidants - Spinach is a rich source of many antioxidants, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium, which are important in fighting harmful free-radicals.

Parmesan Spinach Cakes

Recipe found on eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

12 ounces freesh spinach
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese or low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
2 large eggs, beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to amedium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with a cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Losen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

Spinach and Grapefruit Salad

Ingredients:

Baby spinach, washed
1 small pink grapefruit, peeled, segmented and sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup blueberries
1 handful unsalted cashews (chopped or pieces if preferred)
Raspberry vinaigrette

Directions:

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Drizzle raspberry vinaigrette over salad and toss. To avoid putting too much dressing on, drizzle only a tablespoon at a time and toss. Add more accordingly - you shouldn't have a pool of dressing at the bottom of the bowl.