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Today is Spinach Day and a day to take stock on where this little leaf originated from and all its amazing benefits.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a leafy green vegetable that originated in Persia.
It belongs to the amaranth family and is related to beets and quinoa. Plus, it’s considered very healthy, as it’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.
The benefits include eye health, reduce oxidative stress, help prevent cancer, and reduce blood pressure levels as well as strong bones and teeth due to the high levels of calcium in it. It is high in fibre so good for gut health and also has a huge number of nutrients to help oxygenate the blood.
Spinach can be added to a lot of dishes and can be eaten raw or cooked. Remember the more you cook it though, the less of its nutrients will stay in there so its best to eat raw when you can.
Now for a bit of history. Possibly the most famous person in history to be associated with spinach is 16th-century noblewoman, Catherine de’ Medici, who ruled France from behind her three sons for many years. Originally from Florence, Italy, she moved to France when she married King Henry II. It is said that Catherine loved spinach and made sure her cooks served it at every meal. Because of this, even today, meals that are made with spinach are often known as “Florentine” in honour of the birthplace of Catherine de’ Medici. And I love a pizza called Florentina which has spinach and a whole egg in the centre of it. So that's where the pizza name came from.
Spinach can be added to any dish so here are some examples:
Spinach and tomato pasta
Spinach, broccoli, avocado smoothie
Spinach Artichoke Zucchini Bites
Tuscan Butter Salmon
Creamed Spinach Stuffed Salmon (my favourite)
Bacon Spinach Dip
Creamy Spinach Soup
Just add it into your daily meals and reap the benefits.
Let me know if you have any good recipes for spinach as I'd love to try them out and share with you.
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Have a great day
Lots of love xxx