I think of spinach as the trainer vegetable for dark leafy greens. It’s dark, it’s leafy, it’s green–but it’s far less dark-leafy-greenish than, say, kale or chicory. Once someone has spinach mastered, anything’s possible.

I’ve long been from the must-have-spinach-this-minute camp of spinach-eaters. I always assumed that was because of the paucity of red meat in my diet and spinach’s through-the-roof iron levels. Me and Popeye, we’re tight. But then I found out that spinach’s superman iron content is a myth. A myth! (The kind of myth that puts marketing departments over the moon.) A 19th century German study on spinach misplaced a decimal point and endowed it with ten times the iron it actually has. The mistake was discovered in 1937, but not before Popeye had already started promoting the he-man, muscle-inspiring strength of spinach.

Spinach does contain iron, but no more than other leafy vegetables–and the ironic (haha) part is that general literature suggests that the iron in spinach is not easily absorbed by the body because of the oxalic acid content in the vegetable. (Although I found this study which suggests that oxalic acid in fruits and vegetables is of minor relevance in iron nutrition.) Including a source of vitamin C with spinach is recommended to increase the iron absorption.

So if it’s not the supersonic iron levels that make me cuckoo for spinach, as I always thought–what is it? I think it tastes good, but the smell of it cooking clearly can’t wake me from sleep the way brewing coffee or baking cookies can. I go absolutely nuts to eat it, but I don’t dream of the flavor in the same way I crave pumpkin or black truffles. I don’t know what it is, I just have to have spinach; there’s definitely an invisible attraction there. So, I’m thinking it has something to do with this: flavonoids, vitamin K (1,000 percent of the daily recommended value in 1 cup of cooked spinach!), vitamins A and C, manganese, folate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamins B2 and B6, tryptophan and dietary fiber. See? Doesn’t that make you want to eat spinach this very minute?

So go get some spinach! You’ll generally find spinach in one of two major categories: smooth and savoy (which is thicker, and curly or crinkled). There has been a lot of cross-breeding, so sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which. Regardless, wash spinach well, especially savoy types–and dry in a salad spinner or a pillowcase.

I like spinach just about anyway, except over-cooked and super mushy. I am most recently intensely enamored by No Cream Creamed Spinach from White House chef, Cristeta Comerford. I can’t recommend it enough.

What does Dr. Brent say about spinach?
It took 25 years for my taste buds to mature enough to appreciate cooked spinach. Why? Probably they were trying to tell me that raw spinach is the better way to go.  Overcooked and canned spinach lose as much as 50% of their nutrients.  Spinach is high in Vitamin A (beta-carotene which is good for eye health), Vitamin C and folate. It is an exceptionally good source of iron and calcium; however, spinach also contains oxalic acid which can inhibit the body’s absorption of these nutrients.  Absorption of iron can be increased by eating spinach with a fruit or vegetable that contains additional Vitamin C. Baby spinach has all the nutrients of full-grown leaves but lower oxalate levels.

Why grow it yourself when it’s so easily available in every grocery store?  Spinach is one of the foods on which the most pesticide residues are found. Did you know that people with latex allergies are often also allergic to spinach?

Visit Beekman 1802 for more about spinach, gardening, and nutrition from Dr. Brent and to learn about The Oldest, Largest Garden Party in America’s History–submit your gardening tips there and become eligible to win some great prizes.