This is the reason why you should eat raw spinach

Spinach is one of the healthy foods that should not be missing in your healthy diet. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants such as flavonoids and carotenoids, they are a great source of energy and health but they do not provide the same benefits depending on the way they are cooked. Take note of the reasons why you should eat spinach always raw.

pixabay

Among the antioxidant substances found in spinach, we will focus on lutein, which belongs to the family of carotenoids, also called yellow carotenoid. It is a natural pigment soluble in fat, and also a potent antioxidant which is found in many green leafy vegetables, strengthens the immune system and has anti-inflammatory properties. A healthy pump

A study by the Linköping University of Sweden has concluded that The best way to take advantage of the lutein contained in spinach is to consume them raw, but not only that.

unsplash

Researchers say that lutein is a substance that benefits cardiovascular health by helping to maintain healthy arteries. They showed that Lutein can decrease inflammation in the immune cells of patients with coronary artery disease and also that lutein is possible to accumulate in reserve within the body. This led researchers to wonder if dietary intake of lutein would influence blood levels of lutein and what was the best way to accumulate it effectively.

pixabay

What the scientists who worked on this study did was to choose spinach as food to focus the study thanks to its high levels of lutein and its habitual consumption by the population. Lutein, like many other nutrients, is degraded by heat and the research focused on observing lutein levels that remained after cooking. in several ways "What is unique about this study is that we have used preparation methods that are often used when cooking foods at home, and we have compared several temperatures and heating times. We have also investigated preparation methods in which spinach is eaten cold, as in salads and smoothies "explains Lena Jonasson, professor in the Department of Medical and Health Sciences and consultant in cardiology.

pixabay

In the study, the spinach was fried, steamed and boiled, measuring the lutein content of the food at various times in each preparation. The scientists observed that when spinach was cooked at low or medium temperature, such as adding them to a soup or stew, they retained a higher percentage of lutein than when frying at high temperatures where a large part of the antioxidant pigment degraded in just two minutes.

When boiling them, time is also important, the longer it boils the less amount of lutein will retain the spinach. Lutein is also released in the microwave while the structure of the plant is broken down by the waves of the device. "It's best not to heat spinach at all, and even better to make a smoothie and add fat such as cream, milk or yogurt.When spinach is cut into small pieces, more lutein is released from the leaves and fat increases solubility of lutein in the liquid ", says Dr. Rosanna Chung, lead author of the study.

pixabay

If you are going to consume spinach and you want to take advantage of all its antioxidant and inflammatory benefits, make it raw and add healthy fat to enhance its absorption. We give you ideas, a spinach smoothie, coconut milk, almonds and mango or a salad of spinach, orange and walnuts with sauce of Greek yogurt and cucumber. You can also make a pesto by mashing raw spinach with garlic, salt and extra virgin olive oil to add to your dishes. Enjoy!