A review of spinach. Be strong to the finish, ’cause you eats your spinach…

Intro

Let’s talk about the most nutrient-rich, low in calorie and down right delicious food out there, that should be part of your daily diet… spinach. Whether it is in the form of a salad, blended into your smoothies or in powder form shaken into your protein powder, you will reap the benefits. Popeye really fucked up and gave me a lot of work to do by claiming that eating canned spinach will make you big and strong like Andre Galvao. But in reality, he was eating some of the most disgusting and least nutritious form of spinach and achieving gains on instant HGH levels. Too bad that those are not the benefits associated with spinach. I am here to talk about good old fashion spinach that is bought fresh, prepared perfectly and eaten properly, for all of the right reasons. Those reasons are essentially endless because spinach is one of the best foods on the planet. In this review you will find out why it is so good for us grapplers (hell and anyone for that matter), how to select the right spinach and then a solid recipe that will change the way you eat. It’s time to eat some spinach. Ba-nana-na-na-nanaaa ba-nana-na-na-naaaaa

Not a black belt, but can surely kick some ass.

General Information

Spinach is what you will find universally within all diet plans and trust me it is not just for Valley girls and vegans. If there was a Grappler Gourmet “Most Wanted… For-You-To-Eat” list, spinach would be Public Enemy No.1. When I refer to spinach I really mean as a whole, but at the store you will commonly find three different types of spinach. The benefits are the same for all so just buy some. I will get into the details of each as you read further down. If you are here for a history lesson, you’re in the wrong place, but I am accommodating so I will say that spinach originated in Persia (modern day Iran) made popular in England by the Spanish and now is commercially grown primarily in the Netherlands and United States.

Get your ass down to the store now and pick up a bag or 6.

Spinach has been eaten for ages because it is down right impressive when it comes to its nutritional content. Spinach is not only low in calorie but high in vitamin A, K & C. Resulting in great anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer qualities, not to mention bone repairing benefits. Spinach has some of the highest levels of Vitamin K next to kale. Vitamin K is a key player in building bone mass, or just repairing it. Hold the HGH, I’ll take some spinach instead. Maybe that is why Popeye looked so Neolithic? He ate so much spinach is bones were growing bones!

When to Eat Spinach

Time of Year: Spinach is luckily available year round. Don’t be afraid to buy spinach in a bag, just aim for organic spinach. If you are the type of person that will hit the market or has a nice supermarket, you can find the best spinach between March-May and then again from September-October.

Time of Day: Any time of day. Do you hate it? Then sneak it into your meals. Do you love it? Then you are ahead of the game.

Benefits

Packed with Vitamin A, C & K, calcium, magnesium, protein, dietary fiber, vitamin B2/B6, potassium, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acids
Antioxidant packed resulting in healthier hearts because of lower blood pressure and cholesterol
Helps arthritis, migraines, and asthma because of anti-inflammatory qualities
Anti-cancer benefits specifically spinach shows great levels of protection again prostate cancer. Hear that guys?
Beta-carotene and vitamin C improve gastrointestinal function
Improves brain and eye function
Low in calories, high in nutrients, so it’s perfect for cutting weight and every day eating
Culinary applications are vast, can really be added into any meal and used in many ways
Hate eating spinach? Say “fuck it” and drink it instead.

How to Pick the Right Spinach

In this day and age there are more options available at the super market each day and it can really be overwhelming. So if you are looking to buy spinach and grab a bag, get home and find out this looks nothing like baby spinach! Well that is because there are a few different types of spinach available, but don’t freak out, they just have a few slight differences.

Keep your elbows in and your spinach down.

With the proper techniques and a little knowledge no matter what spinach you snag, you will be able to gain all of the rewards from it. “Baby spinach” can fall in the realm of any of the three types, but is most commonly “semi-savory.” But before we dig into preparing our spinach we need to know what we are buying.

The Three Types

“Savory Spinach Ear” didnt roll off the tongue as easily.

Savory: What you commonly find in bulk fresh bunches. Dark green leaves, which are very curly and crinkled. This type is harder to clean because sand can get caught in the ridges. The leaves are usually thicker and less delicate resulting in it not easily being over cooked, while remaining full flavored. Also thicker leaves add great texture to salads.

Look familiar my friends?

Semi-Savory: This type is commonly a hybrid so it can come in many different shapes and sizes. Primarily the leaves are slightly ridged and spade shaped. Think of baby spinach and boom, you have a mental picture of what semi-savory spinach looks like.

Picture this, smashed into a can, then smashed into Popeyes mouth, so he can then smash his fist into other peoples mouths.

Flat-Leaf: Smooth leaves that you are less likely to find fresh and are mostly found in processed foods, i.e. baby food, frozen and canned. This is what Popeye ate.

Tips and Tricks

Now that we know which type we want, it comes down to selecting, storing and preparing. Pick spinach that is bright green, the more pale or dull the color, the more nutrients that have leeched out. Once you pick a nice and fresh bunch of spinach, it can be stored up to 5 days in the fridge as long as you don’t get it wet. Should you wash your spinach? Yes, but only right before using it. Fresh spinach needs to be washed. Bagged spinach just needs a quick rinse because it is usually pre-washed.

WASH ME!!! But not with your gi.

How to Store Spinach: Keep spinach in original packaging or in airtight zip lock bags. Keep it as dry as possible and cook it right before using. It doesn’t store well cooked.

How to Wash Spinach: Simply place the spinach in a bowl and fill it with cold water. Gently rustle the leaves around to knock any sand off the leaves then transfer the spinach to a new bowl. Dump out any water and dirt from the first bowl, add spinach back and fill again with water. Do this a few times until there’s no dirt left in the bowl after you remove the spinach.

Flavor Pairing: anchovies, bacon, cream, eggs, feta, garlic, ham, lemon, mushrooms, mustard, nutmeg, nuts, olive oil, onion, oranges, parmesan, pepper, raisins, sugar, tomatoes, vinegar, and yogurt

Cooking Methods: boil, blanch, puree, raw, and sauté

Recipe

Remember the Meerkatsu’s Food Week Recipe for Apple Cider Spinach? Well here is one that is just as simple and delicious!

Conclusion

If it were a kids class Id give it a green belt for humor sake, too bad I need to respect it

Spinach is a power house food, that will not make you instantly big and strong but will provide you the benefits to train daily and stay healthy longer, in order to get big and strong like that Sailor Man. The stuff is quick, easy, cheap and delicious. So swing out to the store and grab some spinach and make a salad, you will not regret it when you are feeling great on the mats tonight. Don’t have the time to hit the store? Swing over to Q5 and grab a container of Warrior Green and use GOURMET10 for 10% OFF. Like discounts? Use grapplergourmet at Inverted Gear for 10% OFF you entire order! How about free stuff? Sign up for Grappler Gourmet Weekly below to get FREE articles delivered directly to your email for you to check out while you are plugging away at work. Remember to eat well, train hard. Oss.