Green leafy vegetables (all of them) can be considered the most weight-loss friendly foods due to the high nutrient and low-calorie content. Leafy greens are great for everyone, from kids to adults to the elderly, and of course, for people who want to lose weight. In this post, we would like to place the spotlight on spinach, which studies say not only helps with weight loss, it also prevents weight gain as well. Palak as it is popularly known in India, has been found to aid weight loss, with an ability to suppress appetite and boost metabolism. So, what makes spinach unique? As we have mentioned above, spinach is a leafy green vegetable with extremely low calorie count, with 100 gm of spinach having only 23 calories, and it’s an absolutely great way to eat your way into calorie deficit without compromising on nutrition. It’s also rich in protein, fibre, vitamin C, calcium, and other minerals, which make it a nutrient-dense vegetable. A certain study that was published in US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health found that women who had 5 gm of spinach every day managed to lose a higher percentage of body fat. After reading further about the weight-loss benefits of spinach, we are certain that you would understand Popeye’s obsession with spinach. Read on:
Why you Need To Eat Spinach Every day?
1. Spinach contains vitamin A, folic acid, calcium, vitamin K1 and vitamin C. Supports a healthy immune system. Promotes healthy growth and reproduction.
2. Folic Acid: Folic acid helps your body produce and maintain new cells, and also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer. Folic acid is usually prescribed to pregnant women.
3. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues. It also helps in formation of collagen, keeps skin and teeth healthy.
4. Calcium: Human body needs calcium to build and maintain strong bones. Your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly. Most importantly, people who have adequate amount of calcium tend to lose belly fat more quickly with the right diet and exercise than people who have calcium deficiency. So, increase calcium in your body through these natural foods.
5. Iron: Adequate levels of oxygen is required by the body to burn fat, and to carry oxygen to muscles and brain. Iron deficiency will impact hemoglobin level and also affect thyroid function, and trigger weight gain.
6. Water-Dense Vegetable: It’s a water-dense vegetable, low in calories, high in nutrients – what else can you ask for!
7. Boosts Metabolism: Due to its high iron and nutrient content, spinach boosts metabolism and increases the rate at which the body burns calories.
8. High in Protein: We all know protein is an essential macronutrient that drives weight loss, and spinach is also a good source of protein. Also read: “10 Amazing Ways to Start Eating Healthy.”
9. Thylakoids: Not many people know, but spinach has a compound called “thylakoids,” that have been found to suppress appetite and reduce the level of “ghrelin” (the hunger hormone). Thylakoids also prevent insulin spike and discourage storage of fat in the body. It suppresses hunger and increases satiety.
6 Different Ways To Include Spinach in Daily Diet:
1. Green Smoothie: Try a green smoothie in breakfast. Make a smoothie/low-fat milk shake and add handful of fresh spinach leaves. You can either use raw leaves or boil it for few minutes and add it into the blender. You can hardly taste spinach in the drink. It will definitely look a lot green but won’t taste that bad.
2. Fill Half of the Plate with Leafy Green Vegetables: Fill one quarter of your plate with a healthy protein source and one-quarter of your plate with whole grain (like quinoa, brown rice), and fill half of your plate with veggies, and make sure spinach is one of them.
3. Add it to Vegetables: Add chopped spinach leaves in your vegetables. Whichever vegetables you are cooking, you can easily add handful of spinach leaves to the veggies. It will look a lot colourful and will be healthy at the same time.
4. Spinach Roti: An another way to add spinach in your diet is through roti. Spinach roti is simply made by adding chopped spinach leaves and some spices, salt to the wheat flour, kneading the dough by adding little water and roasting the roti with low fat butter.
5. Spinach Daal: Just add handful of spinach leaves into the tempering (tadka) and cook as usual. Your usual lentils is turned into spinach lentil.
6. Spinach Salad: Add spinach leaves to your salad bowl. Top it up with low calorie dressing and voila you have literally added spinach in every meal!
Summing up, to lose weight, one needs to eat a healthy diet to get into calorie deficit and foods like spinach help you achieve that without compromising on nutrition. That’s why the Rati Beauty diet is full of such healthy ingredients help you lose weight and get lean.
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