Spinach Nutrition Information

If you're watching your weight and including a variety of vegetables in your diet, the American Heart Association recommends including leafy green vegetables such as spinach to provide a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and iron. Great in a salad or cooked and eaten with chicken, spinach contains flavonoids and beta-carotene, which are valuable in maintaining health and preventing disease.

Nutrition Facts

One bunch or 340 grams of spinach contains 78 calories, 10 grams of protein, 12 carbohydrates, 337 milligrams of calcium, 9 milligrams of iron, 600 micrograms of folate, 1,641 micrograms of vitamin K, 31,882 IU of vitamin A and 19,000 micrograms of beta-carotene.

Origins

Spinach originated in Nepal and is now native to central and southwestern Asia. Related to chard and amaranth, it is also known as spinach beet or silverbeet. The USDA reports spinach consumption has risen dramatically in the United States in the past five years, with the U.S. now second behind China in production.

Raw Versus Cooked

Taking a 340 gram bunch of raw spinach and cooking it down to 100 grams reduces the amount of vitamins and minerals by over one-half. The health benefits of the flavonoids and beta-carotene abundant in spinach give this vegetable the ability to lower the risk of cancer, anemia and inflammation and should be considered before preparing it for a meal.

Alternative Remedies

Spinach has the properties of lubricating, cooling and acting as a blood tonic in Chinese medicine. In "The Tao of Healthy Eating," Bob Flaws discusses how the cooling and moistening properties of spinach can help "calm a hot liver and stomach" and aid in alleviating constipation. Flaws warns against eating too much of cooling vegetables like spinach, as they can weaken digestion and absorption of nutrients.

Considerations

The New York Times reported in the Dec. 3, 2009, online edition that those taking blood-thinning medications such as Warfarin should be aware that foods such as spinach contain vitamin K, which is known to aid in blood clotting.