Spinach Isn't Just for Popeye

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How smart is Popeye? Smarter than you think. Popeye attributes his amazing strength to eating spinach, but he is also protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer and arthritis. The Journal of Nutrition recently published a report that spinach fights prostate cancer while The Nurses Health Study reveals women whose diets are high in kaempferol, a nutrient in spinach, reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 40 percent.

Spinach, like other leafy green vegetables, provides more nutrients than most other foods. Vitamin C and Vitamin A, two nutrients in spinach, are important antioxidants that work to reduce free radicals in the body known to cause blocked arteries, heart attacks, or strokes. Spinach's Vitamin K promotes bone health. Add the iron and calcium, and you have the mighty spinach. Make your spinach organic, and you increase the healthy nutrients. According to a study by Rutgers University comparing conventionally grown spinach with organic spinach, organic spinach has 97 percent more iron and 99 percent more manganese than conventionally grown spinach. Many of the essential trace elements that are absent in conventionally grown spinach are rich in organic spinach. The United States -- notably California and Texas -- is one of the largest commercial growers of spinach. Help the economy and yourself -- have organic spinach for dinner.

Basmati Rice with Spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large organic sweet onion, chopped
1 cup organic frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted
1 package of organic spinach, rinsed and dried
1 cup uncooked organic Basmati Rice

2 cups of organic chicken broth