Many of us have grown seeing Popeye the Sailor Man defeating Brutus, thanks to the superhuman force he got from spinach, and our mothers to use this argument to persuade us to eat this vegetable.
However, is spinach so good and are true all the benefits attributed to them? To answer to this question, it is important to understand what oxalates are.
Oxalates is a "vegetal toxin" that binds with calcium increasing the risk of kidney and gall bladder stones. They also bind with other minerals such as iron or magnesium reducing the absorption of minerals in the gut.
Many foods contain oxalates and our cells routinely convert other substances into oxalates. However, the foods with the highest concentration of oxalates are spinach (600 milligrams per 100 gram) and rhubarb (600 milligrams per 100 gram) followed by cacao.
From a biochemical point of view, and due to its high content in oxalates, spinach demineralize and decalcify the body increasing the risk of kidney and gall bladder stones. They also reduce the absorption of minerals in the gut. From an energetic point of view, spinach have a cooling nature.
If our intestines and kidneys would be healthy and strong, eating spinach would not be a problem. However, my experience and observation tell me that reality is different. We tend to mistreat "our roots" (the intestines) and to burn out our ancestral energy (the kidneys) therefore, we should avoid high intakes of this vegetable (specially those suffering from gout, kidney disease or rheumatoid arthritis).
If you decide to eat them, make sure they are not your only source of vegetable and do not eat them daily; when buying them, make sure they are organic and when in season; when eating them, do it with a food rich in minerals such as seaweed and last but not least, enjoy them!
