6 Healthy Ways To Eat Spinach

Thursday, September 10, 2020, 18:40

Leafy greens are good for your overall health; they are loaded with essential vitamins, minerals and fibre, which contribute to many of the health benefits of leafy greens. Today, in this article we'll talk about one such leafy green in particular which is touted for its profound health benefits. Yes, we are talking about spinach, a popular leafy green that many people have a love-hate relationship with.

Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, iron, folic acid, potassium and magnesium, which makes this leafy green a superfood. In spite of these valuable nutrients, the consumption of spinach is low compared to other green leafy veggies [1].

Spinach is a versatile leafy green that can be easily incorporated into your diet in a variety of ways.

1. Salads

Spinach can be a great addition to your everyday salads, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian salads, this leafy green will go with everything. You can opt for baby spinach while preparing salads as they are high in flavonoids [2]. Adding few fresh vegetables, nuts and fruits to your salad will make it more nutritious and delicious.

How to make: In a bowl, add a small amount of baby spinach with few fresh vegetables of your choice and chopped nuts and fruits. As a salad dressing, you can use a dash of extra-virgin olive oil to it as it is healthy [3].

2. Soup

Spinach is great for your heart-warming soups. It blends well with other ingredients as well as adds flavour to your soup. Children who don't like eating spinach can have this leafy green in pureed form along with other veggies [4].

How to make: In a pan, add oil and chopped onion and garlic. Sauté it and add chopped spinach, stir it well. Add pepper and salt for seasoning and then add gram or besan flour, spices and water, mix it well. Allow it to cool for few minutes and then pour the mixture in the blender and blend it. Transfer to a pan, stir it and simmer it for few minutes.

3. Stir-fried

Stir-frying is another way to eat spinach. You can add other fresh vegetables (optional) as well to make it healthier. However, make sure that you don't fry the spinach too much as it leads to a loss of some nutrients [5].

How to make: In a pan, heat olive oil and crushed garlic. Add spinach and stir-fry it, season it with a pinch of salt, pepper and herbs.

4. Sauce

Spinach sauce is a fun and easy way to add spinach into your diet. Spinach sauce is a perfect accompaniment to pasta dishes and it can also be used as a dipping sauce.

How to make: In a pot of boiling water, add spinach and cook it for a minute. Drain the water out and add spinach into a blender and purée it. In a pan, add the pureed spinach, butter, salt and pepper and stir it occasionally until it thickens. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot.

Img ref:realfood.tesco.com

5. Smoothie

Smoothie is another healthy way to add spinach into your diet. It is healthy and has the goodness of all nutrients due to the combination of fruits and spinach.

How to make: Combine spinach with fruits such as kiwi, avocado, berries, plums, mangoes, orange or pineapple and blend it in a blender. You can also add nuts and seeds to make it super tasty.

6. Curry

Spinach curry (palak curry) is a simple, healthy and flavourful way to get some greens in your diet. Commonly made in Indian households, spinach curry is a wholesome meal and gives picky eaters a new way to try this leafy green.

How to make: In the pan, add oil, chopped onion, ginger, garlic and other spices. Sauté for a few minutes and add chopped spinach till the leaves wilt completely. Then pour the mixture in a blender with some water and salt. Blend to a smooth consistency and transfer it in a pan. Bring it to a boil and cook it for 3-4 mins. Serve with rice or chapati.

Image ref:South Indian veg recipes