One of the most beneficial vegetables for our own health is by far the spinach. How many things wo we know about it though?
Let’s find out more about it!
- Spinach is a leafy green flowering plant.
- It is native to central and western Asia.
- It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae.
- Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either fresh, or after storage using preservation techniques.
- Such techniques are canning, freezing, or dehydration
- . It may be eaten cooked or raw, and the taste differs considerably.
- For instance, the high oxalate content may be reduced by steaming.
- It is an annual plant.
- Also, rarely it is a biennial.
- It is growing as tall as 30 cm (1 ft).
- Spinach may overwinter in temperate regions.
- The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular, and very variable in size: 2–30 cm (1–12 in) long and 1–15 cm (0.4–5.9 in) broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem.
- The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) in diameter, and mature into a small, hard, dry, lumpy fruit cluster 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in) across containing several seeds.
- In 2018, world production of spinach was 26.3 million tonnes.
- China alone accounting for 90% of the total.
- The word spinach is originated from Persian aspānāḵ.
- It entered into the European languages by way of Latin which received it from Arabic.
- The English word “spinach” dates to the late 14th century from espinache (French, épinard).
- Common spinach, S. oleracea, was long considered to be in the family Chenopodiaceae.
- In 2003 that family was merged into the Amaranthaceae in the order Caryophyllales.
- Within the family Amaranthaceae sensu lato, Spinach belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae.
- Most of the carbs in spinach consist of fiber, which is incredibly healthy. Spinach also contains small amounts of sugar, mostly in the form of glucose and fructose.
- Spinach is high in insoluble fiber, which may boost your health in several ways.
- Human eyes also contain high quantities of the same pigments as spinach.
- In one study, these compounds helped slow tumor growth in a person’s cervix.
- They also decreased the size of the tumor.
- One study in 27 people found that eating spinach effectively lowered blood pressure levels.
- Several other studies observed similar effects, indicating that spinach boosts heart health
- Raw spinach is 91% water, which is just 5% less than cucumbers!
- National spinach day is on 26th of March in the U.S.A.
