THE FUSE

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January is in full swing, and with it inevitably comes many health-focused New Year’s resolutions. Maybe it’s getting in more movement, journaling to stop doom scrolling, or eating more vegetables. If the latter is one of yours, adding more spinach into your diet is a good place to start.

It’s green, so it practically screams “good for you!” And spinach is packed with tons of benefits, including high levels of vitamin K, antioxidants, fiber, and potassium, to name a few. Some of my go-to ways to get in the leafy green is to pack it into a smoothie, and sauté a handful into my morning omelet.

We all know spinach is good for you, but does it matter how you eat it? Is spinach actually better for you raw or cooked? I reached out to some experts to find out. Here’s what they had to say.

Christina Manian, RDN, MENV, said that, as with other vegetables, there are pros and cons to both raw and cooked spinach. “Raw spinach generally has more vitamin C and the B vitamin folate, as these are sensitive to heat, and it also may have a little more lutein content — which is a plant pigment that benefits eye health,” she said.

But that doesn’t mean cooked spinach is worse. In fact, it has its own set of benefits. “Spinach is known to contain ‘anti-nutrients’ like oxalic acid that can inhibit absorption of certain minerals. But oxalates [foods high in oxalic acid] can be reduced in the cooking process, so cooked spinach may make the leafy green’s minerals more absorbable — most notably calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium,” Manian continued. “Vitamin A and beta carotenes may also be more bioavailable as a result of the cooking process.”

Similarly, Rhyan Geiger, RDN, noted that the readily available nutrients differ in raw versus cooked spinach, and mentioned the loss of vitamin C when cooked like Manian did. “When spinach is heated, especially by boiling, nearly all the vitamin C is lost. This is because vitamin C degrades in heat and is also water soluble. Water attracts vitamin C like a magnet, increasing the loss,” Geiger said.

However, based on your own personal needs and diet, cooked spinach might be the way to go. “If you already get enough vitamin C from other foods and want to focus on other nutrients like calcium in your diet, boiling spinach might be for you,” Geiger stated. “Regardless of if spinach is raw or cooked, the level of beta carotene and fiber stay pretty consistent.”

Ultimately, it all boils down (no pun intended) to what your personal goals and preferences are. Both provide health benefits and are key to supporting your overall wellbeing.

“We’re all different with different goals. I recommend eating spinach in a way that gives you the most benefit. But if you desire more vitamin C, especially during colder seasons, raw spinach may be the better choice,” Geiger said. Because she specializes in plant-based diets, Geiger also added that “getting strategic about calcium intake can be more important, and boiling may be the best option for increasing calcium absorption.”

At the end of the day, spinach is good for you whatever way you serve it. “Given the benefits of both forms of spinach, I think [people] can’t go wrong with either — the more, the better. Ideally, aim for enjoying some of both forms throughout the week if you can,” Manian said.

It should also be noted that leafy greens like spinach are more prone to E. coli outbreaks due to the way they’re grown. The bacteria can cause severe illness, and in extreme cases, death. Cooking or boiling spinach can help kill any harmful bacteria, thus reducing the risk of food borne illness.

If you’re looking to eat more spinach and don’t know where to start, we’ve got 55 recipe ideas to give you some inspo. Try this delicious yet simple spinach salad with apples, walnuts, and feta; blend some spinach into a green smoothie; or stir a few handfuls into a hearty lentil soup.