Bright green, fresh, and incredibly healthy: There are lots of important minerals and vitamins in spinach. Above all, the trace element zinc. With this, the body regulates metabolism, for example. The fact that spinach contains a particularly large amount of iron is a myth debunked. However, you shouldn’t miss out on enjoying the vegetables. We have put together ten great spinach recipes for you that are guaranteed to inspire you!

Foam omelet with spinach

Foam omelet with spinach – what could be nicer? Heavenly fluffy with a colorful and seductively crunchy topping, this omelet is a real eye-catcher on the plate. By the way, you can adapt the ingredients to your own taste and vary them as you like. How about, for example, Parmesan or goat’s cream cheese?

Asparagus cannelloni with spinach

Cannelloni loves small and large pasta fans alike. In this case, they are coated in a creamy spinach sauce and filled with delicious white and green asparagus. It makes your mouth water – or what do you think?

Ricotta Spinach Cookies

You should not miss this vegetarian starter, because it brings together the best ingredients and – thanks to ricotta and parmesan cheese – provides a very special aroma. Of course, you can also enjoy the crispy cookies as the main course. Freshly prepared, this dish is simply irresistible!

Melon Spinach Juice

This version of a green smoothie is very popular with all juice fans. Spinach and melon harmonize in a special way and provide lots of vitamins and nutrients that ensure vitality and well-being. So dare yourself to try this delicious drink. We’re sure you can’t get enough of it!

Salmon and spinach pan

Salmon and spinach is a combination that always works and leaves nothing to be desired. And best of all, this dish is prepared in no time and is almost star-worthy… Don’t you think so? Give it a try and let yourself be captivated by this wonderful meal…

Spinach Mango Vegetables

Spinach and mango – do they go together? Oh yes, and how! The combination may sound a little strange at first. And that’s exactly why we advise you to prepare this dish without fail and completely surrender to the special aroma. You’ll see: the combination of spinach and mango creates a real explosion of flavors in your mouth!

Creamy Spinach Soup

The spinach soup is a classic that is rarely prepared these days. Too bad actually! Because this soup is a real delicacy that is easy to prepare and offers perfect enjoyment even on cooler days.

Sweet potatoes with spinach salad

Sweet potato fans will love this wonderful dish. The vegetarian delicacy is ideal for discerning connoisseurs with little time to cook. So feel free to invite friends and family over and present this culinary highlight on a plate. You can be sure of the applause!

Asparagus salad with spinach and mushrooms

Another recipe from the category: simple, but extremely delicious! The fresh vegetables awaken the spirit of spring and make you want a variety of dishes that you can easily prepare yourself. Don’t you agree?

Baked spinach rolls

Last but not least, we would like to recommend our baked spinach rolls. Basically, you don’t have to say much about this dish, because the look speaks for itself. But it should be emphasized once again at this point that these small rolls not only look great but also taste sensational!

A new study confirms More strength gains thanks to spinach! That’s why the Free University of Berlin is now calling for spinach to be included in the doping list.

There is no denying that spinach is healthy: the green vegetable provides an incredible 800 micrograms of vitamin A per 100 grams of spinach – perfect for good eyesight and healthy skin. In addition, spinach contains all the important minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, plenty of iron, and vitamins A, C, and E, which have a positive effect on the nerves, healthy cells, and the immune system. In addition, the consumption of spinach promotes blood formation and gently drains the body.

New human study on the effects of spinach

The Freie Universität Berlin, in cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), carried out a human study in which the effect of a substance contained in spinach, ecdysterone, was tested (1).

The double-blind study involved 46 people who took different doses of spinach extract or a placebo for 10 weeks—neither the researchers nor the participants knew who was taking which dose. The maximum dose of ecdysterone was 800 milligrams, which is about 6.6 kilograms of spinach.

At the beginning and end of the study, the muscle mass and the strength of the classic bench press were determined for all test participants. There was a clear difference here: The subjects who took ecdysterone for ten weeks had a significantly higher increase in muscle mass. Bench press performance also increased significantly, which confirms the performance-enhancing effect of the spinach ingredient.

Will athletes now be banned from leafy greens?

Since the substance ecdysterone can lead to a significant increase in muscle mass and strength in connection with the sport, the researchers at Freie Universität Berlin recommend including ecdysterone in the doping list, since a large amount of spinach can act as a classic doping agent. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which supported the study financially, ultimately decides whether this case will actually occur. One of the hurdles that could arise with such a ban is doping control: Here it should be possible to check whether the athletes have taken ecdysterone tablets or simply eaten a lot of spinach.

The scientist Maria Parr explains: “The lower dose in our experiment, i.e. two capsules per day, corresponds to around 250 grams to four kilograms of spinach leaves per day, depending on the variety. This is the amount you would have to eat every day for ten weeks to consume the same amount as some subjects in our study. In order to achieve the effect of the higher dose administered, one to 16 kilos of spinach would have to be consumed.”

Many people know spinach primarily as a warm, creamy vegetable, but it is also delicious raw in a salad. Here you can find out when you can eat spinach raw and when you should be careful.

In addition to many healthy nutrients, spinach also contains oxalic acid. This binds calcium, iron and magnesium. Your body can therefore absorb less of the substances you eat if you have consumed oxalic acid. If you suffer from a deficiency of the substances mentioned or suffer from kidney stones, you should be careful with raw spinach.

Eat spinach raw to avoid oxalic acid

In particular, long-ripened, strong spinach leaves with a wavy structure contain a lot of oxalic acid. When cooking, some of the acid is released into the cooking water. If you drain the cooking water, the amount of acid will be reduced. However, nutrients also dissolve in the water, which are then also lost.

Young spinach leaves contain less oxalic acid. You can use them raw in salads or in smoothies. So no nutrients are lost. In addition, the consistency of the delicate, smooth leaves is more pleasant than that of the somewhat coarser, long-ripened leaves.

Nitrate in raw spinach

Spinach can be high in nitrates, especially during the darker months. This substance reacts in the body to form nitrite. Nitrite can turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines. In addition, nitrite inhibits oxygen uptake. The intake of nitrite can therefore be life-threatening, especially for children.

Nitrate is primarily contained in the stems and larger leaf veins as well as the outer leaves. When you remove these plant parts, you remove some of the nitrates. You should also eat spinach when it is still very fresh. This not only tastes better, but also ensures that microorganisms have less time to form nitrite.

Be sure to buy organic spinach, as organic farming doesn’t use nitrate fertilizer. Therefore, organic spinach usually contains less nitrate.

Healthy combinations with spinach

Since oxalic acid binds calcium, among other things, it is worth combining spinach with foods containing calcium. How about a delicious yoghurt dressing for the spinach salad? This not only tastes good, but also ensures that you don’t lose too much calcium.

To mitigate the risks of nitrate, for example, add lemon juice to the dressing and drink freshly squeezed orange juice. This is how you absorb vitamin C, which limits the formation of nitrosamines.

Spinach is very healthy – not only because of its iron content. Here’s everything you need to know about the nutrients in green leafy vegetables.

These nutrients make spinach healthy

Even natural sciences are not infallible. In 1890, the physiologist Gustav von Bunge determined the iron content of spinach to be 35 grams per 100 grams. However, he examined dried spinach. This is how the rumor came about that spinach was extraordinarily rich in iron. Because fresh spinach consists of 90 percent water and therefore only contains 3.5 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. However, this value is still high enough to make spinach an important source of iron. Nevertheless, spinach is very healthy.

According to Ingeborg Münzing-Ruef’s “Healthy Nutrition Course Book”, spinach contains several other vital vitamins in addition to iron, magnesium and zinc.

Spinach is rich in folic acid. This nutrient from the group of B vitamins is essential for cell maturation and cell division processes in your body.
Spinach is also rich in beta-carotene. Your body uses this to produce vitamin A, which is needed for cell renewal in the skin and mucous membranes. Carotenoids also have an antioxidant effect, which means that they protect your cells from free radicals.

Other vitamins in spinach include vitamin C and vitamin K.

healthy spinach: You should pay attention to that

Spinach is high in oxalic acid. This makes it harder for your body to absorb iron and other important nutrients. You can work around this problem with the following two options:
Blanch the spinach before cooking it. This reduces the oxalic acid content.
Calcium binds the oxalic acid in the stomach. That’s why it’s good to eat spinach with calcium-rich foods.
Some people are also critical of the nitrate content of spinach. Nitrate by itself is not particularly harmful to the adult body. However, the substance can convert to nitrite if you store the spinach incorrectly. Large amounts of nitrite are hazardous to health. That’s why some say you shouldn’t reheat spinach that’s already been cooked.

According to the BfR, the advantages of a diet rich in vegetables outweigh possible risks from slightly increased nitrate and nitrite levels. You should not do without spinach, but eat vegetables alternately.

Spinach is healthy

Conclusion: Spinach is healthy if you prepare it properly. And since the vegetables are in season from March to December, you can incorporate fresh spinach into your diet most of the year. Frozen spinach is also rich in healthy nutrients.

When buying, pay attention to organic quality – because conventional spinach is often contaminated with pesticide residues. When you cook spinach, don’t overheat it for too long.

Spinach is a vitamin bomb and a source of protein at the same time. We will show you how to cook spinach properly and what you should pay attention to.

Spinach contains many important vitamins and minerals, including folic acid and vitamin A. You can use it in salads, smoothies or vegetarian dishes, for example. Many use ready-made spinach from the freezer, but you can also easily cook fresh spinach yourself.

The basic rule for fresh spinach is that it should only be stored at room temperature for as short a time as possible. This is because spinach contains nitrate, which turns into nitrite at room temperature – nitrite is toxic in high concentrations. So if you bought spinach, put it in the fridge. You should also keep leftovers in a cool place. Then you can warm up spinach without hesitation.

Blanch, boil or puree spinach

How to cook fresh spinach:

First, you should remove stems that are too large or woody. You can then wash the spinach in a bowl of cold water. You should be thorough here: there is usually a lot of sand from the field in the spinach. Once you have washed the spinach, you can drain it.
Caution: Do not leave the spinach in water for too long when washing, otherwise it will lose too many vitamins.
Then you can briefly boil the spinach in a large pot with salted water. The easiest way is to add the spinach to the pot in batches and cook for a minute at a time.
Keep an eye on the spinach to make sure it doesn’t get too soft. The leaves should still be a little firm to the bite.
To blanch, put the spinach in ice water for a few minutes. This step is optional.
So you can already eat your spinach. You can also add spices like pepper and salt to make it taste better. More about this here: Seasoning spinach: This is how it tastes best.

If you want to puree the spinach, you should let it cook a little longer so that it can be processed more easily. After about five minutes you can shake it off, let it drain and, depending on your taste, refine it with a little (vegetable) cream before crushing it with the hand blender.