Can You Put Raw Spinach in a Smoothie? (How Much, If So?)

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Have you started to enjoy having smoothies lately? Smoothies can be a really nutritious and tasty way to get some energy.

Some people enjoy smoothies for breakfast or lunch. You might even use them for post-workout replenishment.

If you really enjoy the taste of spinach, then you might want to use spinach in your smoothies. Many people aren’t sure whether it’s safe to use raw spinach in smoothies or not, though.

Read on to learn more about putting spinach in smoothies. You’ll learn about whether raw spinach can be used in smoothies and how much spinach you can have each day.

You Can Put Raw Spinach in a Smoothie

You can indeed put raw spinach in your smoothies if you want to. In fact, studies have been done that show that putting raw spinach in your smoothies will be the best way to eat spinach.

Spinach contains a beneficial nutrient known as lutein. Lutein disappears when you cook the spinach by boiling it or frying it.

The reason why you want lutein is that it’s said to be good for both your eyes and your heart. If you want to get the maximum benefit of eating raw spinach, then it should be done in a smoothie.

You won’t break the antioxidants in the spinach down because you won’t be cooking it. You’ll get the full benefits of lutein and it’ll be tasty as well.

If you eat raw spinach in your smoothies often, then it could help you to stave off heart attacks. Reducing your risk of heart disease is a great thing, and so is preventing eye damage as you get older.

To enjoy a smoothie using raw spinach, all you’ll need to do is chop the raw spinach up. Put it in a smoothie that contains dairy and you’ll be able to enjoy it to the fullest.

There are many dairy products that you could use when making a smoothie. Some people like to use yogurt, but others might prefer using milk or some type of cream.

Lutein will be dissolved in the smoothie and you’ll be able to take more of it in. Absorbing lutein into your body is exactly what you want to happen.

You Can Eat One Cup of Raw Spinach Per Day

Now that you know that you can eat raw spinach in smoothie form, you’re likely wondering how much of it you can use. Can you have several raw spinach smoothies per day or will you need to limit yourself to just one?

It’s generally going to be best to limit yourself to eating one cup of spinach per day. This is true when you’re eating raw spinach, but you should only eat about half a cup of spinach each day if you’re using cooked spinach.

You don’t want to go overboard with your spinach intake for a few reasons. Keep reading to learn why you need to limit your spinach intake for the sake of your health.

Too Much Spinach Can Cause Blood Thinners Not to Work Properly

Spinach contains vitamin K and taking too much of this vitamin into your system can cause blood thinners to stop working properly. Many people have to take anti-coagulating medications when they deal with certain chronic conditions.

For instance, those who have issues with blood clots might need to take blood thinners such as the common medication known as warfarin. The spinach that you’re eating could negatively react with the medication and keep it from working properly.

This won’t be the case if you’re eating a normal amount of spinach. However, if you’re eating an excessive amount of spinach, then that’s going to be a different story.

You need to keep your spinach intake in check if you’re taking blood thinners. Otherwise, you could be putting your health at risk.

Of course, you might not be taking blood thinners. In this case, you might think that it’d be perfectly fine to eat as much spinach as you want to.

This isn’t the case either for a few reasons. It’s still good to limit your spinach intake each day even if you’re perfectly healthy.

The Problem with Oxalic Acid

You might have heard that spinach contains a high amount of oxalic acid as well. If you eat a lot of spinach, then the oxalic acid is going to make it tough for you to absorb minerals.

This can be problematic for a number of reasons, but you should know that it can lead to mineral deficiency in the body. The oxalic acid can combine with minerals such as zinc, calcium, and magnesium so that you won’t be able to absorb them as normal.

Not getting the nutrients that you need will be bad enough. What’s even worse is the fact that this can wind up triggering annoying health problems.

Kidney stones can be set off by eating too much spinach. The high amounts of oxalic acid that you’re taking into your system could cause kidney stones to be created.

If you’ve ever experienced kidney stones before, then you know that this is an incredibly painful thing to have to deal with. You want to avoid this at all costs, and this means that enjoying spinach in moderation only is prudent.

Gout is another painful condition that is sometimes set off by eating too much spinach. The oxalic acid is to blame for this once again.

When you’re having a gout attack, it’ll make it difficult for you to even move your feet sometimes. Gout attacks often impact the feet and it’ll make it hard for you to walk.

This will go away after a certain period of time, but the pain is going to be something that you’d rather avoid. If you have a history of experiencing gout attacks, then you might wish to avoid eating spinach as a precaution.

Metabolic Issues

Eating too much spinach has also caused some people to experience metabolic issues. What this means is that you might experience some type of digestive pain if you eat an excessive amount of spinach.

Commonly, people will experience bloating when they eat too much spinach. This is because it can cause gas to build up in your body.

You might have issues with flatulence if you eat an abundance of spinach in one day. It can become an issue if you go way beyond eating one cup of raw spinach.

The bloating and gas issues will also cause cramping. Stomach cramps can be quite painful and you’ll likely want to avoid this.

Why exactly does this occur? Well, it has to do with the fact that spinach is high in fiber and it takes time to completely digest it.

Your body simply cannot metabolize all of the spinach at once. It’s going to take some time, and you might experience bloating, gas, and stomach cramps while your body is trying to work through the spinach.

In some cases, you might even experience diarrhea. This should go away after a while, but this doesn’t mean that it won’t be inconvenient.

Stomach pain could result from everything that you’re experiencing. There are also people who have experienced fevers due to eating too much spinach.

Some People Have Allergic Reactions When Eating Too Much Spinach

Do you have allergies that cause you to sneeze during the spring and summer? There’s a good chance that you might be allergic to histamine.

So many people are allergic to histamine and you’re probably aware that the most common allergy medications are called antihistamine pills. You might not be aware that spinach actually contains histamine.

When some people eat an excessive amount of spinach, they’re going to experience allergic reactions. There’s more of a danger of this happening to people who have issues with allergies, of course.

The allergic reaction caused by the spinach should be relatively minor. It isn’t anything that you need to worry about too much, but it’s still good to be aware of it.

It’s another one of the many reasons why you shouldn’t eat too much spinach in one day. Stick to eating one cup of raw spinach or half a cup of cooked spinach in a 24-hour period.

Some People Should Just Avoid Spinach

Now that you’ve read a lot about raw spinach and how eating too much of it can be bad, you might be worried about eating it at all. There isn’t a reason to worry about eating spinach each day so long as you can handle it.

It really comes down to whether you’re healthy enough to eat spinach or not. Spinach is fine when you eat it in moderation, but it can create problems when eaten excessively.

Some people shouldn’t eat spinach because it will present too much of a risk to them. If you have severe allergies, then it might not make sense to eat spinach since taking the chance isn’t beneficial.

Anyone who experiences issues with either gout or kidney stones will likely want to stay away from spinach as well. Most people who regularly experience gout or kidney stones will have dietary restrictions so that they can try to avoid having episodes.

The oxalic acid that is present in spinach isn’t good for many people. It can be problematic for a healthy individual as well, but it’ll be okay if you don’t eat more than one cup of raw spinach.

Of course, if you’re taking blood thinners for any reason, then you absolutely shouldn’t be eating spinach. There’s no point in risking it since it’s known that vitamin K can negatively impact blood thinners such as warfarin.

Just Be Sure to Measure the Spinach Each Time

You should be able to measure the spinach each time before you put it in a smoothie. Just take the time to chop the spinach out and try to use exactly one cup of spinach to make a smoothie.

This should allow you to enjoy the benefits of eating spinach without having to be concerned about the potential problems. If you have reasons to be worried about eating spinach, then you can make the choice to avoid spinach altogether.

Raw spinach smoothies can be very tasty and nutritious for your body. You just can’t go overboard when you find out that you like them.

It isn’t going to be wise to have two or more raw spinach smoothies in a day. You could wind up experiencing metabolic issues that will cause you to have diarrhea or stomach pains even if you’re a healthy person.

No one wants to deal with stuff such as that, and it’s simply a lot wiser to be careful about how much spinach you’re taking in. It isn’t difficult to measure the spinach out, and you should be able to remember if you already had a spinach smoothie in the last 24 hours or not.

Final Thoughts

You know that raw spinach is good for you for several reasons. It has the potential to protect you from heart disease, and that makes it worthwhile to enjoy in smoothie form from time to time.

It can even help you to protect your eyes so that you can have strong eyesight even as you age. Eating raw spinach in smoothies is completely safe, but you do have to enjoy raw spinach in moderation.

You are only supposed to eat one cup of raw spinach per day or half a cup of cooked spinach per day. Eating more than that could be problematic for a number of reasons.

People who suffer from gout or those who have kidney stone issues will want to stay away from spinach. It contains oxalic acid and that can exacerbate issues with those conditions.

Spinach also contains a lot of vitamin K, and that makes it have negative interactions with blood thinners. If you’re taking blood thinners, then you should avoid eating spinach as a precaution.

If you’re healthy, then you can eat spinach in moderation and enjoy the benefits. You just have to be careful about not eating too much of it in a 24-hour period.

Measure the spinach out meticulously just to be on the safe side. You’ll probably be fine if you eat a little bit more than one cup of spinach, but it’s possible that you’ll get gassy or have stomach cramps if you eat too much.

Always keep this in mind when making raw spinach smoothies and you’ll have a good experience. Let your friends and family know that it’s fine to make raw spinach smoothies so long as you’re healthy and you only use so much spinach.

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