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Ingredient Information
Fresh Spinach
There are two main types of spinach available to you in the market - flat leaf or curly leaf spinach. For the most part spinach is spinach, but there are some subtle differences.
Flat leaf is often called New Zealand spinach in the markets. The leaves are flat and slightly plump. They will sometimes have a fine fuzz on them. Flat leaf spinach is easy to clean (always a plus). The flavor is not quite as sweet.
Curly leaf spinach is of two types. In gardening terms, curly spinach is said to be savoyed and can be either semi-savoyed or heavily savoyed. The more curly (savoyed) the spinach is, the harder it is to clean.
Popeye ate spinach because of the high amounts of vitamin A and C as well as iron. It is the oxalic acid in spinach that provides the slightly bitter flavor. This chemical inhibits the absorption of calcium and some have written that this could be a health problem (although there's not enough of it to be significant in an otherwise healthy diet).
1 cup chopped spinach = 12 calories, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 0g mono fat, 1g protein, 2g carbohydrates, 44mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol