7 Reasons Spinach Is One of the Healthiest Greens You Can Eat

Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense and versatile leafy greens. It’s rich in vitamins, minerals, and protective plant compounds, making it an easy way to add more nutrition to meals, whether you eat it raw or cooked.

There are generally two types of spinach to choose from: baby and mature. The baby variety is a younger plant with more tender leaves and a milder flavor. If you like your greens more fibery and bitter, go for the older version.

1. It Supports Eye and Vision Health

Spinach contains two carotenoids that are linked to eye health: lutein and zeaxanthin. These pigments build up in the center of the retina, where they help protect your eyes from damage caused by sunlight and blue light.

Some scientists have found that cooking spinach might release more carotenoids, but you can still get plenty if you prefer eating it raw.

Spinach also contains vitamin A, an important nutrient for maintaining healthy vision.

2. It Protects Your Heart

Spinach is one of the best natural sources of nitrates. Your body needs nitrates to make nitrous oxide, a molecule that keeps healthy blood flow.

Eating vegetables with a high nitrate content has been linked to better blood pressure. Spinach also supplies magnesium and folate, which help your body produce nitrous oxide. 

Spinach also contains potassium, which helps your heart beat steadily, supports sodium balance, and plays a role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Vitamin K in spinach may also reduce the build-up of calcium, which can lead to heart disease.

3. It Reduces Stress and Inflammation

Spinach also has antioxidants, flavonoids, and phytochemicals that protect your cells from oxidative stress and damage from free radicals. You’ll get vitamin C, chlorophyll, and beta-carotene from these greens, plus alpha-lipoic acid (ALA).

Reducing the long-term stress of inflammation throughout your body may help you avoid chronic diseases, like diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and premature aging.

4. It May Prevent Cancer 

While a lot of the research has been in animals or lab models, scientists have looked at some of the plant compounds in spinach for their potential anti-cancer properties.

One study suggested that spinach improves gut health, which may help lower the risk of colon cancer.

It’s also possible that the free-radical-fighting antioxidants in spinach could be useful for guarding against the kind of cellular damage that can make cancer more likely. 

5. It Promotes Gut Health and Digestion

The fiber in spinach is good for your gut, especially since it has both insoluble and soluble types. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to stool, while soluble fiber becomes gel-like to keep things moving smoothly through your digestive tract.

Fiber also feeds the “good” bacteria in your gut by acting as a prebiotic, helping your microbiome stay balanced.

6. It Protects Your Brain

Research suggests that Vitamin K, lutein, and folate all play important roles in supporting brain health.

Folate is necessary for neurotransmitter function, and antioxidants may have a protective effect against neuroinflammation.

Regularly eating leafy greens like spinach may help slow age-related cognitive decline and might even lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

7. It Helps With Fitness and Weight Loss Goals

Spinach is low in calories, free of fat and cholesterol, and provides fiber that helps you feel full.

Nitrates work by widening blood vessels, allowing more blood to pump through easily. This comes in handy during exercise, when your body needs all that oxygen-rich blood and your muscles need to use energy efficiently.