You have heard over and over again throughout your life how important it is to eat the right portion of vegetables every day. And as you age, the products become even more integral to your long-term health. While all fruits and vegetables can support your overall health, there is one type of vegetable that you should definitely keep in your meal rotation after you hit 50.
“If I am picking a vegetable, I will pick green leafy vegetables, specifically spinach,” He says amy goodsonMS, RD, CSSD, LDa registered dietitian with our board of medical experts and author of The Sports Nutrition Playbook.
The reason Goodson recommends spinach for people over 50 is that the green leaf it is a good source of nutrients that are particularly beneficial as you age, namely calcium, vitamin B12 and potassium.
“Adults over the age of 50 have increased nutrient needs for a handful of vitamins and minerals to help support healthy aging,” explains Goodson. “Specifically, they need more calcium to help maintain bone mineral density as they age, plus vitamin B12 due to the fact that absorption generally decreases with age, and potassiumwhich is a nutrient of concern to all Americans,” he continues, noting separately that high-quality protein is another important nutrient that should be prioritized as you age to maintain lean muscle mass.
Spinach turns out to be a triple threat when it comes to these healthy nutrients that promote aging. “While one vegetable won’t give you the full amount of the three nutrients you need most according to the Recommended Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), green leafy vegetables such as spinach top the charts when it comes to providing all three,” says Goodson. “[Leafy greens] they provide calcium, potassium and some vitamin B12. In addition, they also provide fiberwhich is important for gut and heart health, as well as antioxidantsthat are important in helping the body fight inflammation.
While spinach ranks as the best vegetable to load up on after you’ve passed the age of 50, Goodson stressed that you still need a balanced diet to get the maximum serving of nutrients found in spinach.
“What’s interesting is that a lot of these nutrients aren’t rich in vegetables,” says Goodson. “The best calcium sources are dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt. The best sources of vitamin B12 are found primarily in animal proteins such as beef, liver, fish, eggs, dairy products, and fortified cereals. However, the best sources of potassium are found in fruits and vegetables, as well as dairy products such as milk and yogurt.”
But even if you can’t get the maximum serving of any of these nutrients in one vegetable, you really can’t go wrong when you rely on spinach as a complementary vegetable in your diet.
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How to eat more spinach
Anyone who loves to cook can take heart knowing how good spinach is as they age, and can take advantage of a variety of recipes to get the best value for their money when it comes to spinach.
“Green leafy vegetables can be mixed with eggs for breakfast, they can be used to make a salad for lunch, and they can be a side dish to any protein. Plus, spinach can even be mixed into a fruit shake for an extra kick of nutrients!”
If you don’t consider yourself a great cook, you can’t go wrong trying The Easiest Lemon Garlic Spinach Recipe for a surefire way to introduce more of this leafy green into your life.
eric barganier
Erich Barganier is a health and food writer. read more
