The ‘poor house vegetable’ dish possesses a series of health values

Water spinach is a familiar and rustic dish of Vietnamese people. Although still called a “poor house vegetable”, few people know that this vegetable possesses nutritional values ​​that are not inferior to expensive foods.

Water spinach is a herbaceous plant that grows on water or on muddy soil. Water spinach has a long, hollow stem. With water spinach growing under water, at each joint there will be short roots clinging around the stem.

Water spinach has 92% water, 3.2% protein, 2.5% glucose, 1% cellulose, 1.3% ash. Notably, water spinach contains vitamins A, B, C, calcium, phosphorus and especially rich iron content, suitable for people with iron deficiency, who want to supplement iron.

According to Oriental medicine, water spinach has a sweet, pale, cool taste, has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, diuretic, laxative, treating heat rash, boils … so eating water spinach properly will eliminate toxins.

Here are the amazing health values ​​of water spinach:

Prevent anemia

Water spinach contains high iron content, so it is very useful for people with anemia, especially pregnant women. According to studies, 100g of water spinach provides about 2.5mg of iron. Adding this vegetable to your daily diet helps to increase hemoglobin and fight anemia.

Improve immune system

Water spinach provides abundant vitamin C content, which is good for the immune system. In addition, this vegetable also has the effect of eliminating toxins in the body, supporting the immune system to work more effectively.

Prevention of diabetes

Another great use of water spinach is to help treat diabetes. The nutrients in this vegetable can absorb excess blood sugar. Therefore, eating water spinach regularly will help improve the condition of diabetics, especially women with gestational diabetes.

A study by Kelaniya University showed the ability to reduce blood sugar in diabetic rats when eating raw water spinach for a week.

For patients with type 2 diabetes, when treated with water spinach extract, the average blood sugar level decreased by 29.4%.

Good for eyes

In addition to vitamin C, water spinach also contains a lot of vitamin A, a very important source of nutrients for the eyes. This vitamin is an antioxidant that is very useful to fight the attack of free radicals on the cornea of ​​the eye, thereby helping to improve vision.

Improve sleep

Water spinach can prevent insomnia because it contains nutrients that have a sedative effect, thereby helping you fall asleep more easily and sleep better.

Lower cholesterol

Water spinach is a food that stabilizes and reduces cholesterol levels in the body, thereby supporting those who need to lose weight and maintain health effectively.

Anti-constipation, detoxification

Water spinach contains a lot of fiber, so it has the effect of soothing constipation. In addition, some nutrients in this vegetable also have detoxifying properties, which help relieve pain in sores and care for the skin.

Prevent liver damage

Water spinach has been used to treat jaundice and liver problems. According to the results of some studies, water spinach contains antioxidants, which contribute to the regulation of detoxification enzymes and eliminate the effects of free radicals, thereby effectively preventing liver damage.

Prevent cancer

Water spinach is rich in various antioxidants that have the potential to prevent cancer. These antioxidants help remove free radicals from the body, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.

Eat water spinach properly

For healthy water spinach, it is necessary to know how to clean and eat it properly.

First of all, like other vegetables, it is advisable to wash water spinach by rinsing each top under running water.

We should not eat water spinach raw or eat it when the vegetables are not fully ripe because people who eat them may experience bloating, allergies or abdominal pain. The reason is that in water spinach there is a large intestinal fluke parasite with scientific name Fasciolopsis buski, they are abundant in aquatic vegetables including water spinach.

According to Dan Tri