Growing Spinach May Soon be Trendy AgainSo you were a big fan of Popeye the sailor man as a kid and liked his antics as well as the manner in which he gulped cans of spinach whenever he needed a burst of muscle power. The popularity enjoyed by spinach in the country as a super food owes a lot to this cartoon series designed by E. C. Segar way back in 1929. Today, after 75 years, diamond jubilee of Popeye is being celebrated in different parts of the world with his memorabilia, soft toys, posters and banners being sold to honor the great hero that Popeye has all along been. Popeye’s fights with Bluto have been immortalized with kids knowing how Popeye will beat the shit out of Bluto after easting a can of spinach. Sweat Pea is a cute little baby in the series who, though he looks like Popeye, is not a child of Popeye and Olive as many of the fans believe him to be. He is actually an orphan that Popeye found outside his house on stairs.
Even when the comic series was introduced, the creator did not have an idea of the kind of treasure house spinach was, and he thought of it as great source of vitamin A, or beta carotene as it is known as, that gave Popeye the strength to take on Bluto, another sailor, who was his adversary and always harassing his girlfriend Olive Oyl. Yes, spinach does contain a high amount of vitamin A, bit it also contains abundance of iron that provides strength to human beings. This is not all as spinach contains nearly all necessary minerals and vitamins that our bodies need daily. Vitamins A, B, C, E, folate, minerals like potassium, sodium, calcium, and even trace metals like sulfur, copper and zinc, you name them, you got them.
Spinach definitely plays a big role in keeping blood sugar levels down, and lately, it has been proved that inside mouth, it produced nitric acid that lowers blood pressure of those afflicted with the ailment of high blood pressure. Spinach prevents cataracts in eyes as we grow older and keeps them healthy because of the presence of carotenoids. The incidence of heart attacks and strokes is greatly reduced because of abundance of vitamins A and C, both of which work as antioxidants to keep our cardio vascular system healthy.
Spinach is suitable for places having cold weather though it is beg grown in all climates around the world these days. Growing this green, leafy vegetable in your garden is an easy task. You just need to make sure that the drainage is good and the soil is loose. Sandy soil is considered better for spinach. It is one plant that needs a lot of nitrogen as fertilizer to grow well. If you have not grown spinach earlier, be cautious while dropping the seeds of spinach on to soil. The seeds are small and thin which will make the plants grow cramped for space and you would require thinning.