Spinach, the versatile leafy green beloved for its dense nutrient content, can be eaten in a variety of ways, whether raw or cooked. While raw spinach can be more difficult to digest, the fiber in it can actually improve your gut health in the long run, Cleveland Clinic says. If you’re having trouble digesting spinach, you can try a number of methods to make it easier.
Chewing
People who don’t adequately chew the spinach they consume often have trouble digesting the leafy greens. During the act of chewing, digestive enzymes are released through your saliva, which help further break down the spinach in your mouth, research shows. Chewing food thoroughly increases the surface area for digestive enzymes to act on, according to Culina Health, a virtual registered dietitian practice. This improves the breakdown of carbohydrates and makes travel through the esophagus smoother and more comfortable.
Blending
Whether spinach is a food you have a tough time chewing, or you simply cannot stand the taste of it, you might find that blending spinach with other foods will make it more palatable, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center says. Blending or just chopping up spinach cuts down on the chewing step in the chain of digestion. If you don’t like the taste of spinach, a smoothie with milk, ice, spinach, and berries will mask the flavor and fundamentally change the texture. This makes it easier to swallow and to digest, Cleveland Clinic says. You can also blend spinach with basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and other ingredients to make a pesto sauce that can be spread on other items you eat.
Cooking
Boiling spinach reduces the levels of B vitamins and vitamin C in the plant, the American Heart Association says. But steaming spinach can actually increase the antioxidant beta-carotene (vitamin A), and boiling spinach will increase both its calcium and iron content, according to research. If you have issues chewing or swallowing raw spinach, steaming the vegetable will soften the texture, making both easier. Sautéing or stir-frying spinach can reduce the nutrient loss that boiling and steaming cause, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center says. But keep in mind that cooking your spinach in oils or other fats will slow gastric (stomach) emptying, according to research.
Repetition
As a regular part of your diet, spinach can improve your gut health because of its fiber content, Stanford University says. Leafy greens like spinach have indigestible insoluble fiber, which the body uses to attract water into the stool, which makes it softer and allows for easier transit out of the body. Fiber also feeds the “good” bacteria in the large intestine (colon), which shores up the immune system. And when the bacteria in our digestive system break down fiber, they release acids that help maintain colon health. Additionally, fiber can reduce the risk of some cardiovascular conditions, type 2 diabetes, and several cancers. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory in the digestive system, and a fiber intake of 20 to 30 grams (g) per day has even been associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause.
