(23-04-12) Pump up your body with the Popeye vegetable - spinach

by Dr. David Jockers

(NaturalNews) Spinach is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.
Popeye got it right with this powerhouse but it is too bad he ate it out of a
can. Fresh, organic spinach is much more nutrient dense and contains far fewer
environmental toxins than the canned stuff. Most children and adults like the
flavor and texture of fresh spinach over the canned alternative. Be sure to
pump up your body with spinach on a regular basis.

Spinach is native to ancient Persia (Iranian regions). Arab traders carried
spinach into India and China. Traders also brought this green leafy vegetable
to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and eventually to the US. There are
three primary types of spinach on the market. The most popular style on the
market today is baby spinach, while one could also get smooth-leaf and savoy
(which has curly leaves).

Powerful plant steroids
Spinach contains its own type of plant based steroids called
phytoecdysteroids. Phytoecdysteroids are similar to insect molting hormones and
have been shown to dramatically increase glucose metabolism. This keeps blood
sugar levels stable and minimizes the need for the critical fat-storage hormone
insulin. Additionally, phytoecdysteroids increase human muscle tissue growth
rates by 20% when applied in a culture medium.

Spinach is extremely rich in blood purifying chlorophyll. This chlorophyll is
easily metabolized and used to build new red blood cells and pull out
carcinogenic substances from the body. Chlorophyll also provides magnesium
which acts to strengthen the blood-brain barrier and protect the neurological
system from environmental toxins.

Spinach is an amazing source of glycoclycerolipids that protect the digestive
tract from inflammatory damage. These glycoclycerolipids are the main fatty
acids that makeup the cell membranes of light-sensitive organs in chlorophyll
containing plants. Additionally, spinach is an important source of copper,
zinc, and selenium which boost immunity.

Spinach also contains some very newly studied carotenoid anti-oxidants called
eposyxanthophylls. The epoxyxanthophylls that have been researched to show
remarkable anti-cancer properties include neoxanthin and violaxanthin. Spinach
is also rich in the powerful carotenoid anti-oxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
These phytonutrients are extremely important for healthy vision & brain
function.

The carotenoids act to protect chlorophyll from intense UV radiation. Under
intense sunlight, chlorophyll can convert into an excited form called triplet
chlorophyll along with singlet oxygen molecules which act as potent free
radicals. The more carotenoids a plant contains the greater the degree of
survivability it has and the enhanced nutritional bioavailability it provides.

When purchasing spinach be sure to get it organic as the non-organic
commercial varieties are considered one of the most heavily sprayed edible
plants in the world. Also, look to get it fresh to avoid chemical preservative
agents and aluminum found in the cans. It is also easy to grow as a garden
vegetable in areas of mild temperatures.

Sources for this article include:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinach
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=43&tname=foodspice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthophyll
http://www.naturalnews.com/032263_superfoods_brain_health.html

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Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.