Spinach is a common vegetable in the United States. It is available fresh, canned or frozen and you can eat it raw or cooked. Not only do many people like the way it tastes, but spinach also provides significant amounts of important vitamins and minerals that can keep you healthy.
Vitamin A
One-half cup of raw spinach contains 60 percent of your daily recommended intake, or approximately 420 mcg, of vitamin A. If you lightly steam spinach before you eat it, the vitamin A value increases to 190 percent of your daily recommended intake, or 1,300 mcg. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining your sight and overall eye health. Vitamin A also aids in cell differentiation and keeps your immune system healthy. The percent daily value is set by the FDA and based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Vitamin C
One-half cup of either raw or cooked spinach provides you with 15 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C intake. This equals approximately 11 mg of vitamin C. Vitamin C in spinach helps your body synthesize and use various amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. Vitamin C also acts as an antioxidant, which can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, according to "Nutrition and You" by Joan Salge Blake.
Calcium
Another important nutrient provided by spinach is the mineral calcium. Like vitamin A, cooking spinach increases its calcium content. One-half cup of raw spinach provides only 2 percent of your daily calcium recommendations, whereas cooked spinach provides around 10 percent, or approximately 100 mg. One of the major functions of calcium is its role in keeping your bones and teeth healthy. Calcium also helps ensure that your muscles contract normally and nerve signals are transmitted smoothly. Your blood vessels also rely on calcium to contract and dilate properly.
Iron
The mineral iron is the most abundant mineral on Earth. The iron in your blood helps transport oxygen to and remove carbon dioxide from your tissues. Iron is also important to proper brain function because it aids in the synthesis of certain chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, in your brain. One-half cup of raw spinach provides around 4 percent of your daily iron recommendations, whereas cooking the 1/2 cup of spinach increases that number to 10 percent, or approximately 1 to 2 mg of iron.
Considerations
In addition to vitamins and minerals, spinach also contains a chemical called oxalic acid. This chemical binds to iron and calcium and makes it more difficult for the body to absorb them. Consuming vitamin C with spinach can help improve the absorption of iron and calcium so that you are able to reap the full benefits of these minerals.
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