Spinach Popeye the Sailor’s Food-Who doesn’t know spinach? Millennials are no stranger to calling spinach a booster from the cartoon Popeye the sailor. Spinach is also a very popular vegetable in the community. This vegetable is also very easy to find at a cheap price of around 3000-5000 rupiah per bunch.
Spinach is also rich in nutrients. In the Indonesian Food Composition Table 100 grams of fresh spinach contain 2.9 grams of carbohydrates; protein 0.9 grams; 0.4 grams of fat; 0.7 grams of fibre; 3.5 grams of iron and contains various vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B3 and vitamin C. Spinach contributes a total of 16 calories of energy.
There is no doubt about the health benefits of spinach itself. Spinach contains flavonoids which have an antidiabetic effect because they lower blood sugar levels (hypoglycemic). Spinach also contains antioxidant compounds that are very important for our body’s defense and reduce the risk of cancer.
In addition, spinach also contains anti-inflammatory agents that cause anti-osteoarthritis effects, so spinach leaves are widely used as a traditional medicine for joint pain by the Persians. Spinach also contains anti-bacterial compounds, so spinach extract can be used as a natural antibiotic and preservative in industry. food and medicine.
Keep in mind that in addition to its nutritional content, spinach also contains toxic substances, namely oxalic acid. Based on research conducted by Fitriani et al, the oxalic acid content in spinach continues to increase as long as the spinach is left alone for 2 hours, 4 hours to 6 hours. Therefore, it is recommended not to eat spinach that has been left for more than 6 hours. Because eating foods high in oxalic acid can interfere with kidney function.
We also need to know the proper storage method to maintain the quality of spinach. Spinach should be kept cold, of course, by storing it in the refrigerator. Then, don’t forget to store it dry.
In addition, spinach should not be stored for a long time, at least 3-5 days. You also need to recognize the signs of rot in spinach. If you find signs of such spoilage, then the spinach should not be consumed and must be thrown away. Signs of damage include spinach leaves that are wilted, turn yellow, runny and cause an unpleasant odor.
Spinach Popeye the Sailor’s Food-Not only used as a vegetable but can also be used to make a variety of foods. One of them is spinach salad. Here is a recipe for processed spinach salad.
Salad ingredients:
- 100 grams of spinach leaves
- 50 grams of strawberries
- ½ avocado, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped yellow bell peppers
- 2 tablespoons cucumber slices
- 20 grams of walnuts
Sauce ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make:
- Combine all of the sauce ingredients into a small bowl, then mix until blended
- Prepare a large bowl. Enter all the salad ingredients, stir until blended.
- Pour dressing over salad. Mix well.
- Spinach salad is ready to be served.
Contributor: Choirun Nisa 4th semester student of Bachelor of Nutrition, FKM UI
Reference:
Tabel Komposisi Pangan Indoneisa 2017
Gomathi, V. Jayakar, B. Kothai, R. and Ramakrishnan, G. 2010. Antidiabetic activity of leaves of Spinacia oleracea Linn. in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research. 2(4), 266-274.
Spinach Facts [Internet]. Colorado Department of Agriculture; 2012 [cited 27 April 2020]. Available from: https://mountainscholar.org/bitstream/handle/10217/183512/AEXT_ucsu2062sp42012.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Choudhary, D. Kothari, P. Tripathi, A.K. Singh, S. Adhikary, S. Ahmad, N. Kumar, S. Dev, K. Vishra, V.K. Shukla, S. Maurya, R. Mishra, P.R. and Trivedi, R. 2018. Spinacia oleracea extract attenuates disease progression and sub-chondral bone changes in monosodium iodoacetate-induced osteoarthritis in rats. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 18(1), 69.
Issazadeh, A. Yavarmanesh, M. and Mohammadi, S.A. 2017. Antibacterial effects of aqueous and alcoholic extracts from Spinacia oleracea (varieties Mashhad) on bacterial indicators. Electronic Journal of Food Processing and Preservation. 8(2), 91-106.
Fitriani H, Nurlailah N, Rakhmina D. Kandungan Asam Oksalat Sayur Bayam. Medical Laboratory Technology Journal. 2016;2(2):51.
Safitri A. 4 Kreasi Resep Sayur Bayam yang Praktis, Nikmat, dan Sehat • Hello Sehat [Internet]. Hello Sehat. 2020 [cited 25 April 2]