Everything you need to know about spinach

Spinach is a delicious vegetable with impressive health benefits. Here's everything your need to know about the leafy green, including some smart ways to add it to your diet.

Popeye probably never got cancer. Several studies have found that people who eat a lot of green, leafy vegetables, including spinach, have a lower risk of developing cancer than people who eat little of the leafy stuff.

• Researchers have identified at least a dozen antioxidant compounds in spinach that may have anti-cancer activity.
• Lutein and beta-carotene are two at the top of the list. Known as carotenoids, they've been linked time and again with a reduced risk of several kinds of cancer, including colon and prostate cancers, lower risk of heart disease and better eye health.

Spinach for your eyes? That's right.

• Spinach and its kin — kale, collards, turnip greens and Romaine lettuce — are some of the richest sources of lutein, which research shows may help protect against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, two conditions most likely to rob you of your sight as you age.

Another fact to bone up on: a single serving of spinach offers a full day's supply of vitamin K, which researchers now know is needed for a strong skeleton.

Too many "senior moments"? Eat more spinach.

• Studies carried out by the USDA found that feeding middle-aged rats a spinach extract prevented some of the loss of long-term memory and learning ability that rats normally experience.
• Researchers chalk it up to the stash of antioxidant compounds in spinach.

Look for any and every opportunity to "go green," from good old spinach salad to these ideas.

• For a super-nutritious side dish, sauté spinach (Swiss chard or kale works well, too) and sliced onions in olive oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Stir steamed spinach into mashed potatoes so you get less potato and a lower GL with every bite. Top with sliced scallions.
• Top pizza with spinach.
• Steam spinach, then purée with parsley and lemon juice and use as a sauce for chicken or pasta.
• Make spinach pesto. Purée raw spinach with almonds, garlic, olive oil and a bit of Parmesan cheese, then toss with whole-grain pasta and chickpeas.
• "Beef" up lasagna with spinach instead of meat.
• Serve spinach with garlic and olive oil over pasta cooked al dente. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• For a quick soup, purée steamed spinach with garlic and low-fat plain yogurt.

• Wash fresh spinach thoroughly with cold water — twice. In addition to washing off any bacteria that may be lurking in the leaves, you want to get rid of the dirt that can make spinach gritty. (It does, after all, grow on the ground, and it does best in sandy soil.)
• If you buy bagged greens to save time, it's still a good idea to rinse them well before eating.
• Remove the stems, at least the larger, thicker ones, before cooking.

Overall, spinach is a delicious super food that's incredibly nutritional. Keep this guide in mind and take advantage of the health benefits associated with spinach by adding it to your diet.

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