The Best Way to Use Your Leafy Greens
Fresh spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, but don’t let it linger in the fridge.
The best way to use your leafy greens is during the first 4 days after purchase. After that, the antioxidant and folate levels of spinach plummet, turning it into a wimpier green.
Spinach on Ice
Even at the coldest refrigerator temperatures, researchers found that after 4 days, folate levels in a bag of fresh spinach dropped big time, and the loss escalated with each passing day. Colder temps were better for holding onto carotenoids.
The Power of Fresh
Buying local spinach (at a farmers market or co-op store) may deliver the most nutrients to your table. Grocery-store fresh is a good second choice. Can’t plan ahead? Then grab some frozen spinach. Spinach that’s frozen and packaged soon after harvesting retains much of its nutritional value.
Fresh is best when it really is farm-fresh and ripe. However, many commercial fruits and veggies are picked before peak ripeness — which also means before their nutritional peak — to avoid spoilage during transport and storage. And just a few days after harvest, fruits and vegetables begin to lose some of their nutritive goodness. What’s more, the longer they sit on the shelf — during transport, in the supermarket, and in your fridge — the fewer nutrients they have left to pass on to you.
On the other hand, fruits and vegetables intended for freezing are usually picked closer to the peak of ripeness and are flash-frozen immediately after harvest. The processing does deplete some nutrients, but it locks in the rest for up to 12 months. So in some instances, frozen fruits and veggies may actually have more of the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
For more nutritional articles, browse Encouraging Health
spinach, folate, antioxidant, carotinoids
spinach, folate, antioxidant, carotinoids
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