Show HEAL HEALTH I I By Dr Morris Fishbe iM Editor Journal of or ih the ik American Amrie M. M cal ell Association I In a previous generation sp n. n ach was seldom Beldom seriously ered cred as an article of oC food It Wi was just something that put sand the system Then came increased use of leafy green vegetables b it cause cause- of the mineral salts and vi 1 vitamins tamins they contained Now PI apt ach kale Itale turnip tops beet lea Iea leaves and similar substances are used A Following the introduction of quick freezing such vegetables Ie have been available V at all tI times of the year ear in many large dim Canned vegetables of this type tp including spinach particularly may be bo purchased everywhere ri The vegetables are served chopped sieved or in 0 other t forms torms or they may be purchased d in dry form as powder and aTI aj i tablet m a aa I 9 The Tho increasing use of spinach stimulated the council on f C foods is ds of the American Medical a o l tion to determine its real In Inthe n the diet Spinach is J In diets of patients with diabetes b bF be cause of its low content of ot c ci r or sugar It contains S Sa a rather high f vitamin A and Is rich In vitamin C. C As a vegetable it is parti part rich in iron and t. t and contains a fair amount o copper J Most recent studies however Indicate that the real value t spinach is not to be estimated d from front the chemical determination of its mineral content In using umi various arious foods we are cencer concerned d not only with the amounts of the thi various substances that they tam tain but also with the exten which these substances are lire taken up and used by the body when the food is eaten j Spinach grown in m various p parts parti of theY the country of ot course differs as to the exact percentages minerals that it contains More Mora important than these variations riS in percentage i is the which the spinach pinah h Is s prepared The amount of ot vitamin C in the thi leaves of fresh spinach ch l lishes rapidly when the spinach cut and the leaves are allowed to stand around Five or Jibe mx days das after the leaves have been cut the vitamin C content h has baa almost vanished If the material l is stored at refrigeration temper temp temperature and in the absence of ot oXygen oxy gen the loss takes place mori more slowly JH a There is also aiM some Bome evidence that cooking j pina h the tho wi wrong way may cause causo it to lose Jose a g good od deal of its value of mineral mIneraI tilts salts and of the water-soluble water min In general cooked spinach li lihas has been found to be an excell excellent t source of oC vitamin A a fairly g good source of vitamin C and a a. fair fal l contributor of iron a. a 1 l Now while spinach is one ont 0 the richest plant sources of Iron it is LI clear that not all the spinach Is ls used by the b body d- d Workers in V various have studied these questions Ap Aj Apparently Apparently spinach as a iron in feeding infants is of lIl importance bec because ulle little spinach is fed Lcd to babies For older chI dren and adults spinach may h hav haX greater value although this ha hanot hanot hanot not been certainly established The calcium of of spinach Is fa B Bused no used wed very well by the human b bed bod d because it is largely the form of oC a salt alt called oxalate which it Kelt will not dissolve dl dis i solve in the fluid of the tines inti fl Altogether then spinach U is s va vaT val chiefly to older a means of providing vitan vitamin n and vitamin A iron and sois ora m int infant I roughage to the diet For It is fa not to be particularly me mended ded 9 I |