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Spinach provides more minerals like magnesium, potassium and iron than cabbage, lettuce or broccoli. (Source: Getty Images)
This vegetable is also rich in phytochemicals – compounds found primarily in plants that have many health-promoting properties.
Dr. Roberts said phytochemicals have long been known to function as antioxidants, helping to fight inflammation and aging.
Spinach is also one of the best plant sources of lutein, a plant-based pigment called a carotenoid that is good for eye and brain health.
Additionally, spinach is high in fiber, which most people need.
Fiber has been shown to help protect the body against heart disease, diabetes and many other diseases.
Be careful with spinach
Dr. Roberts said spinach is high in oxalates, which can interfere with the body’s ability to absorb minerals. He says spinach actually has a lot of calcium, but the oxalate binds to that in the intestines.
The oxalate content in spinach not only affects the body’s ability to absorb calcium, but it also affects the kidneys, specifically causing kidney stones.
Kidney stone formation has been shown to be directly and indirectly related to the body regularly consuming large amounts of oxalate over a long period of time. Therefore, you should not eat spinach too much and often to avoid kidney stones.
“This can lead to the formation of kidney stones in some people,” he said. People who are prone to kidney stones are sometimes advised by their doctors to adopt a low-oxalate diet.”
