Food of the Week: Spinach - Eat It or Avoid It?
This Food of the Week is an interesting one -- spinach contains a host of nutrients that are good for you in general and may be especially important for those of us with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, there's a big group of us who should be careful, especially with raw spinach.
Why? Spinach is classified as a goitrogen, which means it acts like an anti-thyroid drug and disables thyroid function. In someone without a thyroid problem, these foods considered safe. If you're on thyroid hormone medication (and still have a thyroid), it's something to be concerned about.
That doesn't mean that you have to give up spinach and other goitrogens, though. Cooking these foods is believed to destroy the problem enzymes, so opt for cooked spinach instead of a salad. About.com Thyroid Guide Mary Shomon has a list of goitrogens here: Goitrogens & the Thyroid.
Now for what's good about spinach. It's low in calories yet contains a lot of important nutrients, especially:
- Vitamin K: for bone health & arterial health
- Vitamin A: an anti-oxidant, helps against viral infections
- Manganese: for nerve health, bone health, & proper use of fatty acids
- Folate: for nerve function, anemia prevention, cell production, dementia prevention
- Magnesium: to relax nerves & muscles, bone strength, blood circulation
- Iron: for energy, oxygen distribution, immune system health
All of those benefits are things we may need, according to experts.
Let's take a close look at iron. It's not among the most commonly recommended supplements for us, but some research shows that low iron could be especially common and especially problematic in us.
In one fibromyalgia study, the researchers concluded that depleted iron stores were an underlying cause of the illness in some people and that correcting the deficiency effectively treated it. Now of course, that's not the case for all of us -- for example, I've always had extremely high iron levels. (A nurse once asked me if I ate a lot of raw meat.) However, if you're anemic or have low iron stores, it may be a bigger problem than you thought. If you don't know about your iron levels, you can ask your doctor to check them.
The information about goitrogens is new to me, so I'll have to change the way I'm eating spinach. Cooked spinach isn't my favorite thing, but I do like it with a little butter and some rice vinegar. It's also good in soups and egg dishes. I've posted a link to some spinach recipes below.
How do you like your spinach? Do you avoid it because of thyroid issues? Has it helped you maintain your iron stores? Leave your comments below!
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A friend makes a sauteed spinach and ham salad – tossed in the wok with a little olive oil and whichever veggies he feels like adding that day. It’s incredibly good, especially sprinkled with a little parmesan, and is perfect for those low-energy soup and salad days.
I am hating reading this. I do take Thyroid meds (armour) and I love spinach raw in smoothies and salads. I do somethimes saute it with eggs. I have just begun reading all about these foods that I love but being bad for the thyroid!! Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Cabbage etc, etc, etc.
I know how you feel ala! When I found out about the thyroid risk (I’m on dessicated thyroid meds too) with those vegetables considering that I don’t do nightshades either, I wonder what on earth I was going to eat!
If it’s a simple as cooking them first, I think that I can work with that. I always steam broccoli, but I love spinach or kale salad.
It’s so frustrating to find so many attempts to stay healthy are thwarted … :/
FYI Re high iron levels:
High Hematocrit Levels Tied to Cardiovascular Risk.
Family Practice News | July 15, 2000 | GOLDMAN, ERIK L. |
Adrienne….you probably already know this, but high iron levels can make you very sick! Don’t know which level you’re talking about you need a complete iron profile including ferritin. My husband had high serum iron and further tests showed other levels high but ferritin (or level of iron storage in the body) wasn’t too high. He was making a Whey shake everyday that had a small amount of iron but lots of vitamin C. Vit C increases absorption of iron. He was having heart palpitations & went thu several heart tests. Meanwhile, quit drinking the shake, got iron retested after awhile and levels were normal….heart palpitations just went away.
For everyone, even if your hemoglobin is low, make sure to get an iron profile before taking iron!!!!! Too much iron is very dangerous.
I have to cook not only the spinach, but strawberries, peaches and PEANUTS….oy vey what next?
High iron is not good, but so is low iron. People with Fibromyalgia should get their iron and full blood count check often. I have been fighting with low iron for over a year, and it isn’t easy. It is just one more thing we need to watch out for.