Characteristics, classification and uses of water spinach in the most detail
Water spinach is a very familiar vegetable, but you may not know how to use it correctly. Join to learn the characteristics, classification and uses of water spinach in the most detailed way.
Although water spinach is a familiar vegetable, it has many nutrients and is affordable. However, spinach also contains dangers if you do not know how to prepare it and abstain from certain diseases.
What is water spinach?
Water spinach is a leafy vegetable that belongs to the morning glory family. Because they are widely grown throughout the tropics and subtropics , the natural distribution of this species is unknown. water spinach is a very popular vegetable.
Water spinach usually grows on the ground, has a hollow, thick stem and often has angled roots .
Water spinach leaves are three-sided, pointed at the tip, sometimes narrow and long.
Morning glory flowers are usually white or purple pink, with light purple flower tubes.
The fruit of water spinach is round and usually contains 4 seeds with tawny hair.
Classification of water spinach
There are two types of spinach: white spinach and purple spinach.
White spinach
The size of this type of water spinach is small and is often planted in beds, without needing much watering . This type of water spinach is often stir-fried or boiled with other ingredients, both nutritious and delicious.
Purple spinach
This type of spinach has a red stem, is larger in size and looks very succulent . They are often planted or grow naturally in places with a lot of water and high humidity. This species is also known as field morning glory, field morning glory or red morning glory .
Nutritional value in spinach
Water spinach has quite high nutritional value. Spinach contains fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, iron, protein and other nutrients .
Effects of spinach
Processed into many delicious dishes
Water spinach can be processed into many delicious and attractive dishe from steamed, boied to stir-fried and other dishes to enhance their flavor.
Supplement iron for the body
Dark green vegetables are said to contain a lot of iron. Therefore, people with anemia can naturally supplement iron by eating more spinach.
Supports the treatment of constipation
Water spinach contains a lot of fiber, which helps support digestion and intestinal tract. Therefore, eating spinach will improve constipation.
Beneficial for eyes
Water spinach contains vitamin A , carotenoids and lutein. They are substances that help strengthen eye resistance. For those who work with computers regularly, you should eat spinach because it will help your eyes become brighter and prevent cataracts.
Limit the ability of cancer cells to grow
Water spinach contains 13 different antioxidants They have the effect of limiting the growth of cancer cells and repelling cancer . Especially rectal cancer, breast cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer.
Strengthens the body’s immune system
Water spinach is rich in protein, minerals and vitamins that are beneficial for health. Therefore, eating the necessary amount of spinach will help you strengthen your immune system and prevent common diseases.
Be careful when preparing and eating spinach
Do not just wash spinach with plain water
Because water spinach is grown in wet areas, near ponds and lakes. Therefore, water spinach often contains parasites, especially a large intestinal fluke parasite called fasciolopsis buski . This trematode can cause you to suffer from indigestion, allergies and stomach aches. Therefore, you should soak and wash spinach with salt water before preparing spinach.
Avoid eating raw or undercooked spinach
Besides soaking spinach in salt water, you should eat spinach when it is cooked . Avoid eating raw or undercooked spinach because parasites will easily enter your body. In addition, if spinach is sprayed with too many chemicals such as pesticides, when you eat it raw or undercooked, that amount of chemicals can seep into your body.
Cover the pot tightly when boiling vegetables
Because spinach contains many different beneficial and harmful substances, if you cover the pot when boiling, the harmful substances will not escape and will be absorbed instead . Those substances will directly affect the health of you and your family.
Avoid eating spinach out of season
Nowadays, you can buy spinach easily. However, in the opinion of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Deputy Director at the Center for Sustainable Rural Development, shared: The rate of chemical use when growing spinach out of season seems to be 100%, meaning the vegetable When grown out of season, water spinach will be difficult to control well (except for facilities that grow clean vegetables according to standards).
Cases where you should not eat spinach
Although it contains many nutrients that are good for health, there are still some people who should not use spinach :
You should not eat spinach when you have open wounds
Water spinach directly affects the recovery of open wounds. It can cause the wound to protrude after healing, affecting the aesthetics of the skin.
You should not eat spinach when you have certain diseases
Some substances in spinach will make people with arthritis have more joint pain . Besides, people with kidney stones should also be careful with water spinach because water spinach is rich in mineral salts, calcium, etc. In addition, water spinach is rich in protein so be careful for people with gout.
In addition, people who are using Oriental medicine also need to consult doctors before eating spinach to avoid unwanted reactions.
Do not eat spinach with milk
Water spinach reduces the body’s ability to absorb calcium from milk when you combine these two foods at the same time. Therefore, you should pay attention when using milk and spinach in meals.
Instructions on how to choose to buy fresh, safe water spinach
To choose safe, fresh spinach stems, you should choose moderately large stems with small, hard-looking tops. With stems that are larger than normal, the vegetables have been contaminated with too many chemicals.
With spinach stems that have wilted, bruised leaves, etc., you should not buy them because they are old vegetables or crushed or damaged vegetables. Delicious spinach is crispy, succulent and seemingly firm but not too large in size.
In addition, the spinach stems have dark green leaves, and from a distance, the leaf surface is very shiny and smooth. This vegetable is fertilized with too much fertilizer and nitrogen, you should not use it.
To ensure the quality and safety of water spinach, you should buy water spinach when it is in season (from April to June) . When the right season comes, vegetables will grow easily, so farmers do not need to use too many different chemicals to promote vegetable growth.
Hopes the above article will provide you with complete information about water spinach. From there, you and your family can absorb nutrition from spinach in the most effective way.
