Spinach is one of my favorite greens--not only does it fit in well as an ingredient in a bunch of different dishes, but it also has a lot of great health benefits. I tend to substitute spinach in most recipes that call for lettuce or other leafy greens, and also like to add it to other entrees, such as the tortellini dish pictured above. For me, the greatest nutritional aspect of spinach is that it is rich in iron--as someone who mainly eats a vegetarian diet, getting in enough iron is super-important. (In fact, I opted to add meat back into my diet (though sparingly) a few years ago after finding that my veggie-based diet, even when supplemented with iron supplements, was not enough to properly maintain my body's iron levels.) Some health benefits of spinach:
- It's a great source of several nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K; calcium; magnesium; manganese; beta-carotene; and folate.
- It's an excellent source of fiber.
- It's a good source of lutein when served in conjunction with a fat, such as olive oil.
- It has been implicated as a factor in the prevention of some forms of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.
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