Danger ! Spinach Toxic

Spinach is a green vegetable used as an accompaniment to main dishes, and as an ingredient in many other dishes (the term florentine in a recipe indicates the presence of spinach). Young leaves can be eaten raw in salad, tacos, and burgers. Frozen spinach goes well on pizza. Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is an edible flowering plant in the family of Amaranthaceae. It is native to central and southwestern Asia. It is an annual plant (rarely biennial), which gro
ws to a height of up to 30 cm. Spinach may survive over winter in temperate regions. The leaves are alternate, simple, ovate to triangular-based, very variable in size from about 2–30 cm long and 1–15 cm broad, with larger leaves at the base of the plant and small leaves higher on the flowering stem. The flowers are inconspicuous, yellow-green, 3–4 mm diameter, maturing into a small, hard, dry, lumpyfruit cluster 5–10 mm across containing several seeds.

Common spinach, Spinacia oleracea, was long considered to be in the Chenopodiaceae family, but in 2003, the Chenopodiaceae family was combined with the Amaranthaceae family under the family name 'Amaranthaceae' in the order Caryophyllales. Within the Amaranthaceae family, Amaranthoideae and Chenopodioideae are now subfamilies, for the amaranths and the chenopods, respectively.

Plain cooked spinach is best served steamed or boiled in a minimum amount of water for no more than five minutes. The bulk of the leaves reduces enormously in cooking. Allow about 100 g per serving and use the biggest pan you have. Serve with lemon juice, or perhaps with salt.

Spinach is a common ingredient in Indian cuisine, where it is known as saag. Try sprinkling the raw leaves with salt before cooking for a slighly different and low sodium alternative to salt.

Spinach can be bought loosely or in prepackaged bags. You can get better quality when you buy loosely, because you can examine all the leaves. When examining the leaves, pick the ones that are smaller and have a good green color to them. Leaves that are crisp and spongy are of good quality. Do not pick leaves that are wilting, brown or yellow. Fresh spinach should smell sweet, never sour or musty. Look for stems that are fairly thin and coarse. Thick stems indicate overgrown spinach, which may be leathery and bitter. If only bagged spinach is available where you shop, check whether the contents seem resilient when you squeeze the bag.

Spinach also contains nitrate (NO3). When oxidized by air, it will be NO2 (nitrite). Nitrite is a compound that is colorless, odorless, and are toxic to the human body. Why could it be ? we can read the article below .

Nutrient contain in Spinach

Spinach has a high nutritional value and is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially when fresh, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source ofvitamin A (and especially high in lutein), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, magnesium, manganese, folate, betaine, iron, vitamin B₂, calcium,potassium, vitamin B₆, folic acid, copper, protein, phosphorus, zinc, niacin, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Recently, opioid peptides calledrubiscolins have also been found in spinach.

Polyglutamyl folate (vitamin B₉ or folic acid) is a vital constituent of cells, and spinach is a good source of folic acid. Boiling spinach can more than halve the level of folate left in the spinach, but microwaving does not affect folate content. Vitamin B₉ was first isolated from spinach in 1941.

Spinach contains iron in the form of Fe 2 + (ferrous)

If he is too long in contact with O2 (oxygen from the air), Fe 2 + oxidized to Fe 3 + (ferric). Although both iron, which is useful for us is ferro. While ferric be toxid on spinach. So, if the spinach is heated, the oxidation will apply. Therefore we are not allowed to reheat spinach.

Do not consumtion more than 6 hours !

Spinach also contains nitrate (NO3). When oxidized by air, it will be NO2 (nitrite). Nitrite is a compound that is colorless, odorless, and are toxic to the human body.

According to John S Wishnok, fresh spinach that was removed from a compound containing nitrite persemaiannya has approximately 5 mg / kg. When the spinach is stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks, nitrite levels will rise to 300 mg / kg. In other words, within 1 day of storage, nitrite compounds will be increased by 21 mg / kg (7%).

Toxic effects (toxic) induced by nitric stems from Nitrite oxidation reaction with the iron in red blood cells, precisely in the hemoglobin (Hb). We have seen that one of the tasks of oxygen binding to hemoglobin is distributed to all organs of the body. Ties nitrite with hemoglobin, called methemoglobin, resulting in hemoglobin can not bind oxygen. If the amount of methemoglobin reaches more than 15% of the total hemoglobin, there will be a condition called cyanosis, a condition in which the whole body tissue of oxygen deficiency. If this occurs in infants known as "Blue Baby".

Other toxic effects is the ability of nitrites react with secondary amino compounds can form that can cause cancer.

Why spinach should not be reheat?

Not only is vitamin K, spinach is also rich in vitamins A and C. Both of these vitamins are antioxidants which help keep the body from free radicals.

  In addition to good immune, recent research suggests that vitamin C itself works better for fighting aging than vitamin E.

  Children love to eat spinach? That's good, because spinach is rich in health benefits for children. But, there's a reason spinach should not be heated.

  Repeated heating can oxidize the iron content in spinach, which then converts the iron content to be toxic.

  In addition, you must pay attention to the process of storage. The longer stored in the refrigerator, the higher levels of nitrite. When it reacts with the iron in red blood cells, can cause difficulties hemogoblin bind oxygen. Consequently? All body tissues in humans was deprived of oxygen. So, make sure your family eat spinach just been processed, and avoid already served more than 6 hours.

So that, please know that spinach processing steps should be as follows:

* Choose fresh green spinach and better through the process of planting an organic (no pesticides).

* Better spinach processed after freshly picked ripe. Due to exposure to oxygen, which are too long to make the content in the form of ferrous iron (Fe 2 +) to be oxidized into toxic iron (ferric, Fe 3 +)

* Avoid reheating spinach dishes that have been through the cooking process.

* Avoid consumption of spinach that was 6 hours after the cooking process. The poison is increased by the presence of nitrate (NO3), which when oxidized by air will also be NO2 (nitrite) compounds that are colorless, odorless and poisonous.

* Avoid prolonged storage.

* Other toxic effects is the ability of the nitrites react to secondary amino compounds that can form cancer-causing.