National Spinach Day:

Celebrated on March 26th every year. The day is dedicated to thank the nature for providing us another invincible vegetable, Spinach.

Twitter Hashtags:

#NationalSpinachDay

#SpinachDay

Related: Other National Days Celebrated on March 26th:

National Nougat Day

Epilepsy Awareness Day – Purple Day

Why National Spinach Day?

The day is dedicated to thank the nature for providing us another invincible vegetable, Spinach. Spinach is a great source of Iron and Calcium. It is enriched with almost all kinds of vitamins, antioxidants, protein, minerals and other fiber. Therefore, Spinach is acclaimed as one of the most nutrients packed vegetable in spite of its time consuming cleaning process. Have a cup of Spinach on a  daily basis and become like “Popeye the Sailor Man”.

Never forget to clean it fully before you eat/cook.

How we can Celebrate or Observe National Spinach Day:

Enjoy the day with spinach dishes like Spinach dip, Spinach salad, Spinach soup, etc. Use this hashtag #NationalSpinachDay and post it on social media.

Useful tip while selecting/storing Spinach:

•  Go for fresh Spinach that is very Green. Avoid pale color since it is older and has only lower proportions of nutrients.
•  Refrigerate in a plastic bag. Do not store after cleaning. Clean it only when you use.
•  If you want to eat raw Spinach, first you clean it using cold water. However, boiled spinach is comparatively good since its acid content dissolves into water.
• Do not store it for more than 5 days since prolonged storage could result in loss of nutrients. Clean it three or four times before you use since it is one of the most pesticide-contaminated vegetable.When you don’t feel it right, you throw it away without a second thought. Whether it is Raw or cooked, it is full of macro and micronutrients. So, go for anything you wish.

Interesting Facts About National Spinach Day:

Spinach, an edible flowering plant is reported to be originated in Central and West Asia. Moreover, the origin of the word “spinach” itself is obscure. It is believed that Spinach is from Persia, from where it was introduced to other Asian countries. During 14th century it was  named as “Persian vegetable”. However, this theory has not been acknowledged due to the lack of evidence.

During the World War I, Spinach Juice treated with wine was given to soldiers in a belief that it fortifies the body to fight against hemorrhage. Spinach can be either cooked or eaten raw. However, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), strongly recommends not eating raw spinach due to the outbreak of disease in the United States by 2006 caused by E.coli that is attributed to Spinach, which resulted in five deaths. Moreover, another such incident happened the following year that resulted in three deaths.

There are three main-categories of spinach, Savoy, Flat- or smooth-leaf, Semi-savoy (hybrid variety).

As of 2016, China is the largest producer spinach with 24.5 million tonnes out of the 26.7 million tonnes, which is almost more than 90 percent of the world’s total production. The United States ranks second by contributing a substantial production of 0.32 million tonnes, followed by Japan, Turkey and Indonesia subsequently. Within the United States, California, Arizona and New Jersey are the top producers of Spinach constituting approximately 73, 12, and 3 percent respectively.

Catherine de Medici, a France Queen almost had spinach at every meal, Hence, In France, all the spinach-based dishes are called as “Florentine”, marking the birthplace of the queen, “Florence”.

Heath Benefits of Spinach:

Spinach is loaded with antioxidants that potentially provides a healthy skin. The outstanding production of collagen in spinach prevents wrinkles, fight against all the blemishes like acnes, dryness, psoriasis, etc., and makes our skin impeccable. It has an enormous amount of protein that reduces the risk of cataract issues and cardiovascular troubles. It is one of the staple food and it regulates proper digestion, prevents constipation, maintains blood sugar, and the best diet food for those who seek to lose weight.,

Daily intake of a cup of Spinach can strengthen mucous membranes, urinary tract, helps in regulating the respiratory system.

While giving Spinach to Children, always get a consultation from your pediatrician since spinach could lead to gastrointestinal problems in children as they have limited digestion abilities. Spinach encompasses high proportion of oxalate, so, those who have kidney problems should avoid or take only minimal amount of Spinach. Moreover, the high content of fiber could lead to bloating, as reported in a few people.

History of National Spinach Day:

The origin and creator of this Spinach day are unknown within the research.