Popeye Knew What He was Talking About: Spinach Prevents Cancer

By Vera Viner

Popeye knew what he was talking about when he encouraged children to eat their spinach. This particular vegetable has an antioxidant that can fight against breast cancer development as well as cancers of the stomach, prostate, mouth, and esophagus. Spinach also has carotenoids that remove free radicals from the body before any DNA damage occurs.

Women should eat spinach or another leafy, green vegetable like kale or romaine lettuce at least twice a week to reduce their breast cancer risk, according to Top 10 Home Remedies. Spinach is also a very versatile food that can be sauteed with your meal, steamed, or put into a soup or salad.

Spinach is full of vitamin C which gives it the green, vibrant color. Additionally, certain molecules found in spinach can help protect the lining of your digestive tract from being damaged, according to The World’s Healthiest Foods publication.

In general spinach is full of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients like carotenoids and flavonoids. So feel free to add some baby spinach to your dinner tonight! Take a look at the recipe below for a great side dish to your fish or chicken. (Recipe obtained on Food Network.)

Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Total Time: 10 min

Prep: 6 min

Cook: 4 min

Yield: 4 servings

Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (6 cloves)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Lemon

Sea or kosher salt, optional

Directions

Rinse the spinach well in cold water to make sure it’s very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it’s browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of sea or kosher salt. Serve hot.