Forbidden.
Banned
Despite what Popeye led a lot of young people to believe, spinach is not particularly
rich in iron. In reality, it has about the same iron content as any other green vegetable,
according to Dr. Philip Kern of UAMS’ Division of Endocrinology. “Spinach also contains oxalic
acid, which prevents more than 90 percent of the iron from being absorbed by the body,”
says Dr. Kern. However, spinach is rich source of vitamin A, vitamin E
and several vital antioxidants, with more than a half-day’s
supply of beta carote found in just a half cup of the vegetable,
adds Dr. Kern. (The idea that spinach contained exceptional levels of iron originated in 1870
with Dr. E. von Wolf whose figures remained unchallenged until 1937, when it was
discovered that the content was 1/10th the claim.
The oversight resulted from a misplaced decimal point.
