You Gotta Eat Your Spinach Baby

Whenever I think of spinach I think of Shirley Temple's "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". When they are doing tryouts all these girls sing a horrible rendition: "You gotta eat your spinach, baby. That's the proper thing to do. It'll keep you kinda healthy too. And what it did for Popeye it'll do for you..."Spinach is GREAT!! I must admit that I'm not a fan of cooked spinach all by itself but other than that I LOVE this leafy green!! And this is what this awesome little leaf has to offer:

According to WHFOODS {World's Healthiest Foods}:
*Spinach helps protect again osteoperosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis and other diseases!
*Researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents. Compounds found in spinach fight prostate and ovarian cancer as much as 40%! Research using spinach extract have shown to slow cell division in stomach cancer cells, and reduce skin cancer! They've also found a reduction in breast cancer!
*One cup of fresh spinach contains nearly 200% of your daily vitimin K!!! Make it one cup of boiled spinach and you'll get over 1000%!!!! Vitamin K is important for bone health!
*Spinach contains high levels of Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene. They protect colon cells.
* Cooked spinach is an excellent source of iron!
* LUTEIN! Spinach packs a whollop in lutein and is considered the best food to prevent cataracts and macular degeneration {the leading cause of preventable blindness}.

Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories - 6.9
Carbohydrates - 1.1g
Fiber - .7g
Fat - .1g
Omega-3 Fatty Acids - 41.4mg
Protein - .9g - 2%
Vitamin A - 2813 IU - 56%
Vitamin C - 8.4mg - 14%
Vitamin K - 145mcg - 181%
Folate - 58.2mcg -15%
Betaine - 165mg
Calcium - 29.7mg - 3%
Iron - .8mg - 5%
Magnesium - 23.7 mg - 6%
Manganese - .3mg - 13%

A few of the ways I like to get in my spinach:
*Spinach Salad with strawberries {or just add some spinach to a leafy green salad}
*Spinach Salad with cottage cheese, pecans and horseradish dressing... my FAVORITE!!!
*Spinach on sandwiches rather than lettuce
*Layered in lasagne
*In Omlettes

MMM.