The only reason I ate spinach when I was a kid was because I thought it might build my muscles and make me strong, like it did for Popeye. I asked my Mom, who told me that it was the high iron content in spinach that did the trick. It tasted like contaminated dirt, but I grinned and bore it, checking my biceps attentively after consumption.
But is spinach really such a great source of iron?
In 1870, a certain Dr. Emil von Wolf calculated that spinach has ten-times the iron of any other vegetable; so far, so good. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until 1937 that anybody checked his calculations, and it turns out that spinach has about the same iron content as many other vegetables; apparently, Dr. von Wolf had misplaced a decimal point during his calculations (update 2012-08-20 (see comments): this part of the story appears to be an interesting myth; it is vitamin A in spinach that was significant to Popeye’s creator; unfortunately, vitamin A is not known as a muscle-mass-increasing substance, so the thrust of my (hopefully) humorous post remains relevant).
Spinach does have a high nutritional value, rich in antioxidants, but Popeye’s choice of canned spinach is a low nutrient source compared to fresh, steamed, or quick-boiled. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, folate, magnesium, betaine, vitamin B2, potassium, calcium, vitamin B6, folic acid, phosphorous, zinc, niacin, copper, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. And yes, it is a good source of iron, just not as magnificent as my boyhood self, with toothpick arms, had anticipated.
Popeye’s bulging biceps after consuming a can of spinach must have been due to the placebo effect.
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2012/08/20 at 01:10
I’m afraid you’ve been had by the Spinach Supermyth: There was no decimal point error and Popeye’s creator (Segar) chose spinach for its Vitamin A content: See
http://www.bestthinking.com/articles/science/chemistry/biochemistry/the-spinach-popeye-iron-decimal-error-myth-is-finally-busted
2012/08/20 at 04:45
Thanks for the information: there is truth in what you’ve brought to light; however, Vitamin A is not exactly a muscle-building solution. Its claims to fame include strong bone structure (certainly related to strength, but not musculature), fighting off disease and infection (by creation of white blood cells), and keeping eye-sight healthy (particularity night-vision); therefore, the substance of the post remains relevant (the post was meant to be humorous
). And eating spinach right out of the can still causes me to gag just thinking about it (I’ll eat the leaves uncooked, but not canned or frozen. And I’d be much more inclined to use fresh or frozen spinach than canned (for nutrition and taste), but perhaps canned was the source most available in the days of the Popeye cartoon).
I’m putting a reference to your comment in the post.
thanks for visiting