For example, magnesium is the center of the chlorophyl molecule, which means that EVERY leafy green is a good food source of magnesium. Technically, I suppose every green leaf would be, if they were all edible. Why not add lime leaves to a few of your dishes as Thai food does? Or some beet and turnip greens?

So, obviously spinach, swiss chard, most lettuces, and green tops to other plants (I’ve heard that carrot tops can be eaten, but I’ve never tried it) are good food sources of magnesium, but even if you eat raw, you need more food than just greens.

Fish:

Salmon, Halibut, Pollock, Tuna, and Haddock  are listed as being high in magnesium. Other fish may be as well, but these are the ones that are high enough in magnesium to be considered a good food source.

Legumes/Beans/Seeds/Nuts/etc:

Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, pine nuts, and sesame seeds are high in magnesium.

In addition to the nuts and seeds, soy beans and products made from soy, black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans, white beans, lima beans, lentils, kidney beans, black eyed peas, and peanuts (and products made from peanuts), are all listed as good food sources of magnesium.

Grains:

Quinoa is supposedly high in every nutrient, and magnesium is no exception. Also high in magnesium are wheat germ and bran- the parts that are stripped out of wheat to make white flour- so any whole grain wheat anything is high in magnesium, and germ and bran can be easily added to a number of foods including high fiber meatloaf. Oats and brown rice are also considered to be high in magnesium.

Other:

Okra, avocados, potatoes, bananas, raisins, and artichokes are considered to be good food sources of magnesium.

But that doesn’t mean to pass up spinach all together. Heck no! Actually, most (not all) canned goods aren’t exactly on your healthy list, even if they started out healthy. But that’s neither here nor there. Actually, it is there, just not here.

What was I saying? Oh yes, the good points of spinach.

The fresh stuff, and probably the well frozen as well, has 13 different flavonoids. That’s good, because flavonoids are anti-oxidants, and anti-oxidants are anti cancer. And now that I’m doing all this research into produce and such, I’m starting to see why so may people have cured their cancer by switching to a raw or mostly raw diet. Especially when you find out that spinach, like pumpkin and many other plants, is also high in carotenoids which fight prostate cancer specifically, and spinach along with a few other plants provides kaempferol, which fights ovarian cancer.

Spinach is also packed with vitamins K, C, A, and E which assist in bone strength, preventing cholesterol build up (C & A), and brain function, respectively. And yet again, spinach is high in lutein, as are egg yolks, pumpkins, and avocados, and can help prevent macular degeneration.

Cooked spinach is an excellent source of iron- which is particularly beneficial for menstruating or pregnant women, and the folate in spinach is also essential for women who are pregnant.

Aside from the potential of allergies, the biggest concern with eating spinach is that it can have a negative effect on the thyroid. Most people don’t have a thyroid condition, and if you do and are being treated, you should be fine. However, monitor yourself after adding more spinach to your diet. If you find that you’re becoming more sluggish, gaining weight, or becoming depressed, switch to another food that contains the vitamins or minerals you need the most and contact your doctor about your symptoms.

There’s a lot of controversy (in my mind) over whether spinach should be cooked or raw. In favor of raw- I think it tastes better. I love a good, fresh spinach leaf with a bit of salt on it. And cooking destroys the enzymes and a lot of the vitamins. On the other hand, in favor of cooked, you can get a lot more spinach into your body by cooking it, and the heat destroys the germs and bacteria that can make you sick.

Then again, organic farms are held to higher standards, so most of the dangers of raw spinach are negated when you buy organic spinach. Either way, if you don’t have a medical condition that spinach has a bad effect on, you’re definitely better off eating it.

And besides, it’s so much better on a sandwich than lettuce.