The Weight Loss Benefits of Spinach

     Spinach gets the top rank among the natural food products that can be placed in the weight loss diet program. The reason is because of its dense nutritional value with low calorie content and it can keep the stomach full for a longer time so that crash diets to lose weight fast may be avoided.

About thirteen antioxidants are present in spinach, out of which lipoic acid has received a lot of importance from the research scholars in the weight loss frontier very recently.

Spinach is an edible flowering plant, technically called as Spinacia oleracea that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family. The plant grows to a height of about one foot. This plant is believed to be a native of Persia (present day Iran) and should have been carried to India by the Arab traders, which later on has migrated to China (647 AD).

There are two varieties of Spinach, one with curly leaf and the other with smooth leaf. The curly variety is less preferred as it is difficult to clean the dirt in the folds. It is not advisable to wash them before storage as watering can cause deterioration of the vegetable.

Whenever we see spinach it reminds us about the cartoon character, Popeye the Sailor as well as the nutritional value that has been emphasized there.

There is an interesting myth about the cartoon character. It was believed that the promotion of spinach was due to its wrongly calculated iron content. It has been said that the iron content was estimated ten times higher than usual, as a scientist placed the decimal point wrongly after a unit. The error was said to have occurred in the year 1870 but came to light only in 1930. However some people believe that spinach was promoted by Popeye the Sailor for its vitamin A content.

Spinach contains dietary fiber that cannot be digested or absorbed by the human body, but helps in keeping the stomach full, in alleviating constipation and also reduces the glucose uptake by the body.

Oxalic acid present in the spinach binds with calcium and iron and reduces their digestion and absorption by the GI tract, as a result a very low percentage of these minerals are made available to the body.

Spinach is more nutritious when it is consumed raw as cooking decomposes the vitamins and antioxidants present in it and the nutritional value thus gets reduced. But some people claim that cooked spinach is more nutritious as the oxalic content is reduced by cooking.

Lutein is an antioxidant present in spinach, which fights the age related macular degeneration (That is responsible for the focus of vision).

Lipoic acid is an antioxidant that regenerates the vitamin A and C. It also regulates the blood sugar level by increasing the energy expenditure in the skeletal muscles of the body, through an insulin dependant mechanism. Lipoic acid increases glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation by activating an enzyme called AMPK. This enzyme regulates the energy balance of the whole body and can respond to hormones as well as nutrient signals.

Lipoic acid also has the ability to reduce the intake of food.

Currently many groups of scientist are involved in research as they feel that lipoic acid and AMPK enzyme hold the key for an effortless weight loss enhancement in future.

Spinach contains a wide range of amino acids (sub units of protein). Glutamine present in spinach can repair muscle cell and prevent tissue breakdown. It can also regulate the blood sugar levels and helps to maintain the immune system of the body.

Leucine is an essential amino acid that can burn visceral fats, found deep in the body which is less responsive to dieting or exercise. Leucine can also enhance the growth hormones. Leucine in combination with isoleucine and valine help to repair muscle damage, regulate blood sugar and boosts energy. These aspects of leucine result in a faster metabolism of the body.

Spinach contains the following: - minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, manganese; vitamins such as A, C, B2, B6, niacin, and K.

The people who diet for weight loss may face nutrition depletion. The depletion for a particular nutrient becomes the root cause for developing a carving for overeating. Spinach offers a complete solution for such issues as it is nutrient rich while containing only a fewer calories.

The above fact suggests that incorporating spinach in diets on a consistent basis can put an end to carving for overeating. The consumption of spinach on a daily basis may be boring but as it very versatile in the kitchen one can prepare many kinds of dishes to overcome this issue.

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