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Spinach, the Big-Time Cancer Fighter

Spinach, the big-time cancer fighter, has many benefits

Popeye the Sailor Man smoked a pipe. Lucky for him, he also ate lots of spinach. 


We can only hope he downed the juice as well. Of all the vegetable juices, spinach juice is said to be the best for the prevention of cancer cell formation. 


Spinach also boasts an extraordinarily high vitamin C content. It is rich in riboflavin, vitamin A, folate, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins E, B6, and thiamin.

Like other greens, it shrinks a lot when it's cooked. A pound of leaves can be reduced to about a cup. The water can be added to soups.

A treat for your heart, the folate and vitamin B6 in spinach helps to control homocysteine levels. Studies at Tufts University in Boston and the Framing Heart Study show that high homocysteine levels are a big heart attack risk. Microwaved spinach, they say, is your best bet for managing homocysteine.

Eating spinach and other dark leafy greens throughout your life will protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration in later life. A study by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston compared the diets of people with macular degeneration and an equal number of people who did not. They found that people who ate more green vegetables, particularly spinach and collard greens, were 43 percent less likely to have macular degeneration.

Experts say antioxidants in spinach and other dark greens neutralize tissue-damaging free radicals before they harm the macular region of the eye.

Spinach Souffle Dinner

Grease a 1-quart casserole dish, sprinkle with 4 teaspoons dry bread crumbs and set aside. In a bowl or blender, combine 1 cup cream style cottage cheese and 3 eggs. Add 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 teaspoon onion salt, and 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest. Add 5 ounces of frozen, thawed and drained chopped spinach and put in the casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

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