Lettuce VS Spinach

MyaPapaya75

Today I had a salad it was made with spinach....I was just wondering if anyone has some quick info on the benefits of spinach verses lettuce....after having the salad I realized I probably wont ever go back to eating lettuce ...spinach has such a good flavor and texture and the fact it can be warmed is a plus....Im going to do my research on this but I just wondered if anyone can offer some info:drinker:

MyaPapaya75

Today I had a salad it was made with spinach....I was just wondering if anyone has some quick info on the benefits of spinach verses lettuce....after having the salad I realized I probably wont ever go back to eating lettuce ...spinach has such a good flavor and texture and the fact it can be warmed is a plus....Im going to do my research on this but I just wondered if anyone can offer some info:drinker:

bugmagnt

There is a lot more minerals, vitamins, and fiber in spinach versus lettuce.

Check out this website I just found:
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/recipes/spinach/spinach&lettucenutrition.html

Dave198lbs

Today I had a salad it was made with spinach....I was just wondering if anyone has some quick info on the benefits of spinach verses lettuce....after having the salad I realized I probably wont ever go back to eating lettuce ...spinach has such a good flavor and texture and the fact it can be warmed is a plus....Im going to do my research on this but I just wondered if anyone can offer some info:drinker:

iceberg lettuce is the last choice for lettuce
spinach as a lettuce is an excellent choice..has iron also....spinach is a number 1 food on many plans
I steam it, eat it raw, throw it in with eggs, I eat spinach almost every day

MyaPapaya75

Thanks for the feedback guys! Dave Im with ya I think Im gonna start eating it daily as well..Im gradually switching over to a lot of raw veggies ...

LeanLioness

Today I had a salad it was made with spinach....I was just wondering if anyone has some quick info on the benefits of spinach verses lettuce....after having the salad I realized I probably wont ever go back to eating lettuce ...spinach has such a good flavor and texture and the fact it can be warmed is a plus....Im going to do my research on this but I just wondered if anyone can offer some info:drinker:

iceberg lettuce is the last choice for lettuce
spinach as a lettuce is an excellent choice..has iron also....spinach is a number 1 food on many plans
I steam it, eat it raw, throw it in with eggs, I eat spinach almost every day

I only eat Romaine lettuce and spinach.........

purrrr

iceberg lettuce is the last choice for lettuce
spinach as a lettuce is an excellent choice..has iron also....spinach is a number 1 food on many plans
I steam it, eat it raw, throw it in with eggs, I eat spinach almost every day

i wish i could eat spinach, i so hate the smell of it... i have problems with my iron, and spinach is one of the best resources since i don't eat animal products... i can never reach more than 2/3 of my RDA of iron and if it falls too low i get anemic... i tried disguising the spinach taste in cooked meals but it just makes me puke in all its forms... :frown:

can you please explain why is iceberg lettuce the worst lettuce to pick? people here claim it's better than regular lettuce because it's cleaner cultivated (i guess because it's rolled like a cabbage but not open to pesticides and pollution like regular lettuce)

Dave198lbs

iceberg lettuce is the last choice for lettuce
spinach as a lettuce is an excellent choice..has iron also....spinach is a number 1 food on many plans
I steam it, eat it raw, throw it in with eggs, I eat spinach almost every day

i wish i could eat spinach, i so hate the smell of it... i have problems with my iron, and spinach is one of the best resources since i don't eat animal products... i can never reach more than 2/3 of my RDA of iron and if it falls too low i get anemic... i tried disguising the spinach taste in cooked meals but it just makes me puke in all its forms... :frown:

can you please explain why is iceberg lettuce the worst lettuce to pick? people here claim it's better than regular lettuce because it's cleaner cultivated (i guess because it's rolled like a cabbage but not open to pesticides and pollution like regular lettuce)

ice berg is nutritionally :light" as a general rule for veggies,,the darker the green the better it is..ice berg really has very little nutrition..for spinach,,,you can sprinkle it with balsalmic vinegar or saute it in EVO...some sea salt can help...I love it so much I juice it in my champion jujicer and drink it!

LeanLioness

iceberg lettuce is the last choice for lettuce
spinach as a lettuce is an excellent choice..has iron also....spinach is a number 1 food on many plans
I steam it, eat it raw, throw it in with eggs, I eat spinach almost every day

i wish i could eat spinach, i so hate the smell of it... i have problems with my iron, and spinach is one of the best resources since i don't eat animal products... i can never reach more than 2/3 of my RDA of iron and if it falls too low i get anemic... i tried disguising the spinach taste in cooked meals but it just makes me puke in all its forms... :frown:

can you please explain why is iceberg lettuce the worst lettuce to pick? people here claim it's better than regular lettuce because it's cleaner cultivated (i guess because it's rolled like a cabbage but not open to pesticides and pollution like regular lettuce)

ice berg is nutritionally :light" as a general rule for veggies,,the darker the green the better it is..ice berg really has very little nutrition..for spinach,,,you can sprinkle it with balsalmic vinegar or saute it in EVO...some sea salt can help...I love it so much I juice it in my champion jujicer and drink it!

Ice ber lettuce is mostly water..........not much nutrition as Dave mentioned..........


I put it in my green shakes!!!

sassiebritches

I too eat spinach everyday in something.............eggs, sandwich, dinner side, pasta, tacos.....

Darn near anything.............

Lovin the "Igh Igh Igh Igh me eats me spinach-Igh Igh Igh Igh"

:smokin:

kobrie17

spinach is nutritionally better, but it is actually an iron blocker.

Dave198lbs

spinach is nutritionally better, but it is actually an iron blocker.

I have nver heard that ....can you tell me where I could read about it?

Georg

I think iceberg also has natural sodium...

MTGirl

spinach is nutritionally better, but it is actually an iron blocker.

I was curious about this, because I had always heard it was good for low iron levels, but found this on wiki:

Nutrition

[edit] Iron
Spinach is known as a rich source of iron and calcium. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach contains 6.43 mg of iron, whereas one 6 oz. (170 gram) ground hamburger patty contains at most 4.42 mg. Thus spinach does contain a relatively high level of iron, compared to other vegetable and meat sources.[3]

The iron in spinach is poorly absorbed by the body unless eaten with vitamin C. The type of iron found in spinach is non-blood (non-heme), a plant iron, which the body does not absorb as efficiently as blood (heme) iron, found in meat.[4]

The bioavailability of iron is dependent on its absorption. This is influenced by a number of factors. Iron enters the body in two forms: nonheme iron and heme iron. All of the iron in grains and vegetables, and about three fifths of the iron in animal food sources (meats), is nonheme iron. The much smaller remaining portion from meats is heme iron.[5]

The larger portion of dietary iron (nonheme) is absorbed slowly in its many food sources, including spinach. This absorption may vary widely depending on the presence of binders such as fiber or enhancers, such as vitamin C. Therefore, the body's absorption of non-heme iron can be improved by consuming foods that are rich in vitamin C. However, spinach contains high levels of oxalate. Oxalates bind to iron to form ferrous oxalate, thus making the iron in spinach unavailable,[6] plus high amounts of oxalates remove iron from the body. Therefore, a diet high in oxalate (or phosphate or phytate) leads to a decrease in iron absorption. As a result around 90% of the iron content in Spinach will be released in urine, and not absorbed in the body.[

Dave198lbs

wow,,thanks...get some vitamin c I guess....learn something everyday

MTGirl

I guess if you're cooking the spinich, if you add some diced tomatoes that should work, and would be really good too.

Dave198lbs

I guess if you're cooking the spinich, if you add some diced tomatoes that should work, and would be really good too.

that sounds good....saute that in some EVO and sea salt and bingo...yum

Nich0le

spinach is nutritionally better, but it is actually an iron blocker.

I have nver heard that ....can you tell me where I could read about it?

Spinach is an EXCELLENT source of iron, more iron than in beef. It is also an excellent source of calcium, potassium, vitamins a, e, c, k, magnesium, zinc, b2, b6 and packed full of several healty antioxidants.

The iron in spinach IS harder for our bodies to absorb as efficiently as other sources so it is recommended to alway add vegetables or fruits (citrus and strawberries go great in a spinach salad!) as the added vitamin C helps the body absorb the iron best. This is a similar process to Vitamin D helping our bodies better absorb calcium.

BEWARE of leafy green veggies at lunch time as most carry a fair deal of trytophan, just like your turkey at thanksgiving, you are likely to feel sluggish and have better chance of an afternoon slump when you pack your lunch full of those yummy dark green veggies! If you ever have bouts of insomnia it is highly recommended that you eat your dark green leafy's a couple of hours before bed and let the trytophan do it's best work then!

To get to know your spinach better simply google "spinach benefits" and a host of websites will appear, including a study on spinach from the smarty pants at MIT. :drinker:

MTGirl

I was getting ready to put my dd to bed and I thought if you were juicing spinach, then spinach also goes well with orange and strawberry - don't know if necessarily both at the same time :laugh: But maybe! Now I want spinach

Dave198lbs

I was getting ready to put my dd to bed and I thought if you were juicing spinach, then spinach also goes well with orange and strawberry - don't know if necessarily both at the same time :laugh: But maybe! Now I want spinach

I think it is fun to mix things like that...what the heck,,,,and I love strawberries and oranges and spinach,,,so ,,,ya,,,I like it
thanks

ivykivy

I read the other day on yahoo that the iron content of spinach was overexaggerated b/c tests done 50 years ago were done with vegetables where the soil was still clinging. Also the nutrient content of the soil now is not as rich as it was then. However, I usually go for romaine for the lettuce. For some strange reason spinach makes my side hurt if I consume to much. But thats just me.

Manda86

I love spinach!

I bought some today, actually -

I'd never thought of juicing it, what an interesting idea! Dave, do you find the taste fairly distinct, or does it blend well with fruits?

I like making salads with it - my favorite is spinach, strawberries, mushrooms, and toasted almonds with a tiny bit of poppyseed dressing. Nom nom nom.. I also make wraps with it - I take a tortilla, put 'sweet & spicy' tuna, a bit of cheese, preferably provolone or swiss, and lots of yummy spinach and roll it all up, put in the oven, and bake until the outside is golden brown and crunchy, and the inside is all melty and gooey.. I'm getting hungry, I better stop.

lulubar

Spinach with walnuts and cranberries and a little strawberry vinegarette. mmmmmmmmmm.

I like dark lettuces, alllllll of them ~ the darker they are, the higher the nutrient content.

stillkristi

And, you could get arms like Pop Eye! But, Sassiebritches already used that joke. Hmmm, for the first time, I realized what Pop Eye's name is about. Kind of off-putting.....:sick:

However, (quick recovery) I love a spinich salad with cut strawberries, a little cottage cheese (rinse the milky part away, so you are using just the curds) or a little feta cheese (VERY LITTLE) and a light dressing with a little honey, a little wine vinager and maybe some poppy seeds. If strawberries are out of season, pears are also nice.

stillkristi

Manda, sounds very good!

Actually, they all sound good. Lulu, do you use whole cranberries, or crazins?

TamTastic

I've always loved spinach. Even as a little girl.

I eat it steamed or raw in salads are also use it as the "green" on a sandwich.

I do eat lettuce too but stick to the dark leaf varieties as everyone has said. I like romaine a lot.

"Wilted" spinach cooked with a little garlic!! YUM!

Dave198lbs

I love spinach!

I bought some today, actually -

I'd never thought of juicing it, what an interesting idea! Dave, do you find the taste fairly distinct, or does it blend well with fruits?

I like making salads with it - my favorite is spinach, strawberries, mushrooms, and toasted almonds with a tiny bit of poppyseed dressing. Nom nom nom.. I also make wraps with it - I take a tortilla, put 'sweet & spicy' tuna, a bit of cheese, preferably provolone or swiss, and lots of yummy spinach and roll it all up, put in the oven, and bake until the outside is golden brown and crunchy, and the inside is all melty and gooey.. I'm getting hungry, I better stop.

I usually add via juicing a carrot or a 1/4 of a beet to the spinach juice.....the added carrot or beet gives it a little sweetness...watch those beets\, they are good for you but very high in sugar....I only usually will juice the spinach when I have alot that is going south (I buy the big bags of soinach at costco) or when I am feeling like I need a bit of a cleanse

LisaZaugg1976

I love spinach!!!!

diannastadnyk

I recently heard on a cooking show( i think it was iron chef) that the nutrients in spinach are released only when it is cooked....so your not getting all the benefits out of it if you eat it in a salad.

stillkristi

LOL :laugh: :laugh: I've been thinking it was time to get my glasses checked, and now I know it is. I read Dave's post and saw this: "I usually add via juicing a carrot or a 1/4 of a beef." :laugh: :laugh:

Or, maybe I should just eat more spinach!

havingitall

My favourite restaurant has a spinach salad with warm goat cheese. The spinach is lightly dressed with a vinaigrette dressing and there are walnuts and artichoke hearts. Then they add a small patty of goat cheese that is warmed ( OK...so that isn't the healthiest) but It is AWESOME