Can cooking Spinach reduce its nutritional efficacy? Here's the truth

Since ages, we have been told about the numerous health benefits of adding spinach to the day-to-day diet. This is simply because of its umpteen health benefits and potent properties that makes spinach a superfood. In fact, it is loaded with high amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium, folate, vitamin K, and antioxidants that together makes it a healthy addition to the regular diet. However, it is believed that cooking certain leafy greens can reduce their efficacy, but does cooking spinach reduce its efficacy and nutrients? Read on to find out…

Water-soluble vitamins and heat sensitivity
There’s no denying that heating or cooking spinach does not lead to reducing its efficacy, rather it helps in retaining its nutritional value. This is because spinach contains high amounts of vitamin C and certain B vitamins, both of which are water-soluble and heat-sensitive. In fact, when spinach is boiled or overcooked, these vitamins tend to leach into the cooking water and degrade due to heat. This means raw spinach or lightly steamed spinach retains more vitamin C compared to boiled spinach.



Increased availability of antioxidants
Interestingly, cooking spinach also boosts the bioavailability of certain antioxidants. Heat breaks down plant cell walls, making compounds like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin more easily absorbed by the body. These antioxidants play a vital role in eye health and reducing oxidative stress. So, while some nutrients decrease, others become more accessible after cooking.


Oxalates and mineral absorption
Raw spinach is high in oxalates, compounds that bind to calcium and iron and reduce their absorption. Cooking reduces the oxalate content, which in turn makes calcium and iron more bioavailable. So, in some ways, cooked spinach may actually provide minerals more effectively than raw spinach.


What science says
A study published in the Journal of Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Vegetable Oxalate observed that steaming spinach helps preserve antioxidants better than boiling, while it also reduces oxalate content. Boiling led to higher nutrient loss due to leaching into the water. This shows that light cooking methods like steaming or sautéing strike the best balance between nutrient preservation and enhanced bioavailability.



To conclude
In a nutshell, it can be concluded that cooking spinach does reduce certain heat-sensitive vitamins, but it also enhances antioxidant absorption and mineral availability. In fact, it is believed that consuming spinach after heating makes it better than consuming out raw.