An excellent source of vitamins (K1, A, B2, B6, folate , E and C), minerals (manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, calcium, potassium) and fiber, spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green. Fresh spinach is also one of the richest sources of chlorophyll, the pigment that gives spinach its green color and helps your liver break down and eliminate toxins.   By binding with environmental toxins, like heavy metals, some carcinogens and pesticides, chlorophyll can prevent the body from absorbing these harmful substances.

Spinach is versatile and easy to prepare. When you buy fresh bunches of spinach from the farmer’s market, be sure to wash the leaves well to remove any residual grit. The easiest way to do this is to soak the spinach in a large bowl of water with a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar. Agitate the leaves before transferring spinach to a salad spinner. Spin dry.

If you like garlicky spinach, thinly slice a few cloves of garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a stainless steel skillet or 3 quart saucepan, and sauté the sliced garlic for a minute. Stir in spinach and let cook 1 to 3 minutes, or until wilted.

Or, you can simply heat a large stainless steel skillet (I like to use a 10- or 12-inch skillet with high sides) over a medium flame. Add the spinach, stirring until it wilts. Spinach releases a lot of water when it cooks, so there’s no need to add anything to the pan. When all the spinach has wilted, transfer to a serving dish and season with Celtic sea salt, to taste, and toss with a drizzle of quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Organic boxed baby spinach is readily available at most supermarkets. Even if it’s “pre-washed” baby spinach, give the spinach a good rinse (I always wash anything that’s been packaged in plastic) to perk up its flavor. You can make a baby spinach salad, flavored with crumbled, nitrate-free, reduced-sodium all-natural bacon and toasted walnuts. Or, you can add to green smoothies or protein shakes. You can also make this delicious, light and creamy raw spinach “soup”—no “cooking” required.

Creamy Raw Spinach Soup
2 servings

1 cup water
1-1/2 cups spinach
1 avocado
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger root
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened, dairy-free milk
Dash cumin

Place all ingredients into a high speed blender or Nutribullet and blend to a smooth and creamy texture.

Maca “Milkshake”

“Somewhat dessert-like.”
“Creamy, clean and bright.”
“A good flavor balance between sweet, nutty and malty.”

High praise coming from my husband, a wine writer with an excellent—albeit finicky—palate.  What I like is that this particular combination—spinach, apple, sunflower seed butter, almond milk, with the optional addition of maca—can help bolster immunity and promote healthy digestion…perfect whole food ammunition during a “triple flu” season.
Raw spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, potassium and magnesium. Flavonoid-rich apples are high in antioxidants, important for heart health.  Apples also contain pectin, a soluble fiber that promotes a feeling of fullness, helpful in controlling blood sugar and, ultimately, weight.  Almonds and sunflower seeds are both high in magnesium, as well as Vitamin E, a fat soluble antioxidant that plays a role in the prevention of prostate cancer.  Sunflower seeds (and spinach) contain high levels of zinc, which can boost immunity, especially in the prostate region.
If you make this smoothie, remember: conventionally grown apples and spinach retain high levels of pesticide residue—be sure to buy organic.
It’s not for everyone, but maca is a superfood that agrees well with my husband.  Grown and cultivated in the Peruvian Andes, maca is a member of the cruciferous family of plants. Packed with vitamins, plant sterols, minerals, trace minerals, including zinc and selenium, fatty and amino acids, maca root has been used as a stress-fighting adaptogen to increase stamina, energy and libido.  But don’t expect a heart-pounding adrenaline “rush”.  My husband reports no such “buzz”;  he is able, however, to sail through his workday without the classic afternoon slump.
If you’d like to get more leafy greens into the man in your life…try this smoothie on for size:
Maca Milkshake
5 cups organic baby spinach (or other greens)
1 organic Gala apple, peeled and cored
2 tablespoons organic sunflower seed butter
1-1/2 cups almond milk or organic full-fat coconut milk
2 teaspoons maca (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Using a Vitamix or Nutribullet, blend until smooth and creamy in consistency.
 
 
Sources:
Bondonno CP, Yang X, Considine MJ, Ward NC, Rich L, Puddey IB, Swinny E, Mubarek A, Hodgson JM.  Flavonoid-rich apples and nitrate-rich spinach augment nitric oxide status and improve endothelial function in healthy men an dowmen: a randomized controlled trial. Free Radic Biol Med 2012;52(1):95-102
NIH, Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin E
Fortin, F (Editorial Director). The Visual Food Encyclopedia. Macmillan;1996.