Raw spinach are good or bad?
IS EATING RAW SPINACH HARMFUL?
Why is it said that you should avoid eating raw spinach?
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a plant whose green leaves are consumed as food in many countries: in salads, soups, vegetables and more recently in juices or green juices as a detox remedy.
 Green vegetables such as spinach have a very high content of folic acid. |
We can ask ourselves if it is appropriate to eat raw spinach, since it is one of the vegetables that contains contain more oxalates.
Why does eating raw spinach provide more oxalates?
When boiling spinach, oxalates go to the water (they are watersoluble), so the content in oxalates of this vegetable is reduced.
Therefore, boiled spinach leaves contain fewer oxalates than those eaten raw. Considering that drinking green juices is in fashion, many people wonder if it is convenient to use these leaves in their preparations.
Problems with oxalates
The problem with oxalates is that these components can cause stones in the kidneys, especially in people who have a tendency to produce them (hyperoxaluria). They also reduce the absorption of calcium and iron, since they are mineral hijackers.
What’s the advice, can you eat raw spinach?
In general, if you have never had stones in the kidneys, you can eat raw spinach, although a variety of vegetables such as arugula, corn salad, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, dandelion, etc are recommended in the diet. All of them contain a lot of folic acid and other vitamins, with a nutritional value similar to that of spinach.
| Under normal conditions, people can make use of spinach with assiduity. Eating a serving of about 150 to 200 g of spinach per person poses no risk to health. |
Some people have a tendency to form oxalate stones in the kidneys (hyperoxaluria) and, in that case, it is not recommended to eat spinach, beets, chard, walnuts, or other foods with many oxalates. Also, people with gout, rheumatism and arthritis should not take food with many oxalates.
What is the maximum amount of spinach you can eat?
You should not exceed ¼ cup of spinach a day. In any case, it is better to vary the diet with other vegetables and not to eat them daily. They can be replaced by the vegetables mentioned above.
If you want a diet rich in folic acid, there are other foods rich in folates such as avocado.
* Related information:
More information about spinach.
