We already knew that spinach is very good for your health. Not because they make you super muscular like Popeye (hey, it's a myth) but 1/ because they're high in fiber (so it helps digestion), 2/ because they're high in vitamins B9 (ideal during pregnancy) and 3/ because the nitrates they contain improve cerebral blood flow and therefore help keep our brain in better shape.
Better:consumed daily, they make our brain gain eleven years of youth, say American scientists. The same goes for other leafy green vegetables, like kale.
To reach this conclusion, researchers from Rush University in Chicago (USA) analyzed the diet and mental abilities of 950 people aged 81 on average. Other observations were made after one year, two years and then ten years.
Closing? The cognitive functions of the volunteers who ate the most leafy green vegetables, either once or twice a day, declined less quickly than those who did not. An impressive difference since the brain of spinach eaters appears to be 11 years younger than the brain of "not fans".
"These benefits can be explained by their high levels of vitamins and nutrients," explained Dr. Martha Clare Morris at the Boston Biology Conference. The trick? Add vitamin C to your dish of spinach and cabbage, with a squeeze of lemon juice or a few pieces of tangerines, for example, to help the body better absorb the benefits of these precious vegetables.
Hmm, that makes me hungry!
