I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me Spinach

Spinach always makes me think of Popeye and how he used to eat it and become really strong. I loved the cartoon growing up and have always thought of it being very nutritional for you, especially high in iron. Since, I have been on a huge spinach kick lately and eating a lot of it (I have had it 4 times in one week), I feel like I deserve a pat on the back for eating more healthy.

Today though, in effort to keep myself entertained on my lunch, I looked up the nutritional facts for spinach. I was actually quite surprised when I read up on it. It is rich in Vitamin A, C, E, and K. When it came to the Iron though, because spinach is also high in Oxalates, it makes it hard for our body to absorb the Iron. I will let Wikipedia explain it for you.


According to Wikipedia:

"The larger portion of dietary iron (nonheme) is absorbed slowly in its many food sources, including spinach. This absorption may vary widely depending on the presence of binders such as fiber or enhancers, such as vitamin C. Therefore, the body's absorption of non-heme iron can be improved by consuming foods that are rich in vitamin C. However, spinach contains high levels of oxalate. Oxalates bind to iron to form ferrous oxalate and remove iron from the body. Therefore, a diet high in oxalate (or phosphate or phytate) leads to a decrease in iron absorption.

Hmmmm, to me that sounds like they cancel each other out. Well, I'm not going to stop eating it, as:

• One it tastes really good
• It has other nutritional value
• I want to be strong like Popeye. I can dream can't I? :)

"I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me Spinach, I'm Popeye the sailor man!" - Popeye