Benefits of Spinach Powder (vs Fresh Spinach)
Increasingly popular among health-conscious foodies, spinach powder is made by grinding dried spinach leaves into finely textured green powder. It is loaded with a wide range of nutrients including beta-carotene, iron and fiber. These and other nutrients that are abundant in spinach powder have been associated with numerous health benefits, including protecting against age-related macular degeneration, preventing constipation, improving weight loss, lowering blood pressure, and fighting insulin resistance. Read on to learn more about the wonderful nutritional and other benefits of this green superfood powder.
Nutritional and Health Benefits
Spinach Powder is rich in eye health protecting carotenoids
Fresh spinach is packed with beta-carotene, and research suggests that carotenoids such as beta-carotene are not particularly sensitive to degradation during drying, which means that also spinach powder contains significant levels of this vital nutrient [1]. Carotenoids have many functions in the human body, but they are probably best known for their eye health protecting properties. A case-control study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that the study participants in the highest quintile of carotenoid intake had a 43% lower risk for age-related macular degeneration compared with those in the lowest quintile [2]. What's more, those who frequently ate spinach or collard greens, another top source of beta-carotene, had a particularly low risk of developing this serious eye condition. Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is a leading cause of blindness in adults.
Spinach powder is supercharged with iron
Compared with other vegetables, fresh spinach contains a good amount of iron, with a 100-gram serving of fresh spinach providing 2.7 milligrams of this important mineral. When fresh spinach is dehydrated to make spinach powder, iron content of spinach becomes extremely concentrated, making spinach powder an excellent natural source of plant-based iron. It is important to remember, however, that the iron in spinach (and other plant-based foods) is so-called non-heme iron, which is not absorbed as well as the heme iron found in meat. One way to boost your body's ability to absorb the non-heme iron found in spinach powder is to consume spinach powder together with vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, fresh bell peppers, baobab fruit powder, or kiwi fruit because vitamin C improves the bioavailability of iron.
Spinach powder is an excellent source of fiber
Fresh spinach is naturally high in fiber, and dehydration preserves the full dietary fiber content of spinach, ensuring spinach powder remains a good high-fiber food choice. Dietary fiber is important to your health because it provides bulk in your digestive tract and encourages the movement of food through your body, preventing constipation and speeding up the passage of waste through your bowels. According to research, diets high in fiber may also help you lose weight loss, lower your blood pressure, and fight insulin resistance [3].
Benefits Beyond Nutrition
Aside from being a healthy addition to your diet, spinach powder has a number of other advantages over fresh spinach. Like other dehydrated vegetables, it has a relatively long shelf life compared with fresh vegetables, and it does not need to be refrigerated. It is also compact, and it does not take up a lot of space in your kitchen cabinet. What's more, spinach powder is a versatile ingredient with a multitude of uses. Here are some examples on how you can incorporate spinach powder into your diet:
- Add spinach powder to smoothies for an extra boost of nutrients.
- Mix spinach powder into sauces, dressings and dips.
- Use spinach powder to add color and nutrients to omelettes, frittatas, and scrambled eggs.
- Stir spinach powder into pureed soups at the end of the cooking process.
- Add a little spinach powder to bread and pasta doughs.
Where to Buy
Can't wait to start using spinach powder to add more nutrients to your diet and to boost your health? If you want to stock your superfood pantry with organic spinach powder but have a low budget, check out the spinach powders at StarwestBotanicals.com. Or, check out some of the best-rated organic spinach powders at Amazon (such as Koyah Organic Spinach Powder which has received top reviews from Amazon customers).
