Why Popeye Has Good Blood Sugar
Popeye's power vegetable can do good things for your body, too -- like fortify it against blood sugar problems.
That's right. Eating spinach -- and other leafy greens -- was associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in a recent study.
Lean, Green, Multitasking Machine
Spinach may reinforce the body on multiple fronts. First, it's got a low glycemic load, so it doesn't dramatically affect blood sugar levels when you eat it. Second, it's a good source of magnesium, a mighty mineral associated with lower type 2 diabetes risk. Third, spinach is packed with alpha-lipoic acid, a disease-shielding antioxidant. And fourth, it's low in calories and rich in fiber . . . we've got the makings of a nutritional superhero on our hands! (Find out how long spinach can sit in your fridge before the nutrition wilts away.)
Popeye Never Had It So Good!
Give your body an instant health boost with these easy spinach recipes:
Did You Know?
An orange a day may also help keep diabetes away. Find out why this was big news to people in Japan.
RealAge Benefit:
Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.
Intake of fruit, vegetables, and fruit juices and risk of diabetes in women. Bazzano, L. A. et al., Diabetes Care 2008 Jul;31(7):1311-1317.
