Is your spinach smoothie doing you more harm than good? What a nutritionist says | Health

Spinach is a superfood that fitness enthusiasts swear by. Low in calories and high in nutrients, spinach aids in satiety, provides an abundant supply of calcium, vitamin K, manganese and many micronutrients that can energize you and ward off chronic disease. Palak or spinach is a wonderful vegetable for those who suffer from anemia or iron deficiency. It is also loved by people who want to protect their bones as the vegetable helps prevent osteoporosis. (Also read: Spinach Recipes: Healthy and Tasty Palak Snacks to Boost Your Child’s Immunity)

Palak is not just your boring vegetable and you can turn it into lip-smacking paneer palak or crispy pakora palak. But according to nutrition experts, many people might be eating spinach the wrong way, even if they feel “healthy” and satisfied after eating it. We are talking about spinach smoothie which many health conscious people combine with apple, dairy or vegan milk with a mix of greens. According to experts, spinach smoothies and spinach juices can lead to kidney stones and gallbladder stones and should be avoided.

Ayurveda and gut health coach Dr. Dimple Jangda warns that while spinach or your own palak is a powerhouse of iron, it’s also full of a compound called oxalate, which is difficult for people to absorb and assimilate. the body.

What’s wrong with spinach smoothie?

“A glass of spinach juice or a spinach smoothie is eight to ten times the oxalate compound your body can possibly handle. It binds to calcium in your body and leads to calcification of stones in your kidneys and your gallbladder,” Dr. Jangda says in her latest Instagram post.

Nutrition expert says juice or palak smoothie can lead to gut health issues like indigestion, bloating, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome. “It can also deposit in breast tissue and cause health problems for women,” says Dr. Jangda.

Detox or irritable bowel syndrome?

Dr. Jangda says that while the spinach smoothie may give you short-term relief or “make you run to the bathroom,” leading you to think you’re detoxifying, “you’re actually triggering a symptom. called irritable bowel syndrome”.

What’s the right way to have spinach?

What can you do if your nutritionist or health coach has told you to have a spinach smoothie?

“Strictly no! You always boil or blanch it. Modern science has proven that boiling and blanching a spinach helps reduce the oxalate level by almost 30% to 87%. After boiling and blanching it , you make a curry or make a paste of it as an accompaniment to vegetables or make a soup out of it,” explains the nutritionist.

“Replace your spinach smoothie with a bowl of spinach soup. Always ! on kidney dialysis. Be careful!” concludes Dr. Jangda.