Delicious Ways to Eat More Spinach

Different Ways to Eat Spinach

You don’t have to be Popeye to love eating spinach. Spinach is rich in antioxidants and a good source of iron, calcium, folate, and many vitamins. It tastes great raw or cooked and it’s packed with important nutrients you need everyday. Here are some brief facts about why you’ll want to add more spinach to your diet, as well as delicious ways to do so.

How to Use Spinach

Whether in bags or bundles, look for crisp, dark leaves. Be sure to wash it thoroughly to get rid of the dirt you can see and the pesticides you can’t. It is best to buy your spinach organic. Conventional spinach is heavy in pesticides and chemicals. See: The Dirty Dozen.

Even in the crisper of your refrigerator, spinach loses much of its nutritional value after just a few days, but frozen spinach can last for 6 months or more. If you have more fresh spinach than you can use right away, steam it briefly and drain it to make your own frozen spinach.

How to Eat Spinach

Follow the tips/ ideas below for eating more spinach. Note: You can eat spinach raw or cooked. Either way, it’s healthy!

Tasty Ways to Use Raw Spinach:

If your question is Can you eat spinach raw?, the answer is Yes. In fact, one of the healthiest way to eat spinach is by soaking it overnight and eating it raw the next morning. Here are some ways you can eat spinach raw:

1. Toss it into salads.

These hearty greens can help you make a balanced meal in minutes. Adding foods rich in vitamin C will help your body to better absorb the iron in spinach. Make a salad of spinach with slices of orange and add some chicken breast for protein.

• Use a mix of lettuces for an attractive presentation or enjoy the delicate flavor of baby spinach on its own.

2. In sandwiches.

Another best way to eat spinach is by using it on sandwiches. Add layers of crunchy spinach to your sandwich for an added health punch. It’s so much better (way healthier) than iceberg lettuce!

3. Smoothies.

For a green smoothie, combine spinach, blueberries, bananas, coconut milk and some protein powder for the perfect breakfast with spinach.

4. Whip up a fast dip.

With frozen chopped spinach, you can also make a dip quickly with just a few additional ingredients. Thaw and drain the spinach leaves, then add some Greek yogurt and the seasonings of your choice.

Delicious Ways to Use Cooked Spinach:

If raw spinach is too much for your taste, you can eat spinach cooked as usual.

1. Add spinach to your pasta and other side dishes.

Not that we’re advocating eating too much pasta, but spinach lasagna is a great way to feed a large gathering in a healthier way. Alternately, you can easily make a large batch just for you and your family and then freeze the leftovers in small portions so you have a convenient healthy meal anytime. Other pastas also work well with spinach fillings.

2. Put spinach on your pizza.

Again, we’re not advocating too much eating of pizza either, but if you must, add some spinach! It’s much better for your health than just pepperoni and sausage and meats.

3. Add spinach to your other vegetables.

If you’re bothered with what to eat with spinach, simply add some cooked spinach to your other vegetable sides–easy peasy! It blends in nicely with other veggies and adds more variety of nutrients.

4. Try this leafy green in soups.

Fresh or frozen spinach is perfect for soup. If you use fresh leaves, add them at the last minute because they quickly wilt and lose nutrients if cooked too long. You can add thawed and drained frozen spinach to many soup recipes.

5. Throw some spinach into your stir-fries.

Spinach also adapts well to stir fries as the main ingredient or a complement to other vegetables, seafood or meat. It’s at its best when cooked for about 1 to 2 minutes so add it when you’re almost done cooking.

Can you eat too much spinach? No you can’t! Asking yourself How much spinach should i eat?–at least 3 servings per day with other vegetables, 1/4 each of your plate per meal! 

Eating more spinach is always an easy and delicious way to keep to a healthy diet year round. You can enjoy these greens in familiar classics and simple casseroles or experiment with new uses for a healthy change.