Help Manage Blood Pressure

Spinach contains naturally occurring nitrates, which open up blood arteries to enhance blood flow and reduce the burden on the heart. In one tiny research published in The Journal of Nutrition, 11 men and seven women drank four different nitrate-rich beverages, one of which was a spinach beverage.

After consuming all four beverages, researchers discovered that blood nitrate levels rose. Blood pressure was reduced by the spinach drink, as well as those made from beetroot juice and rocket salad (another leafy green). Five hours after consuming the spinach and rocket beverages, diastolic blood pressure remained lower. (The lower number on the blood pressure reading, diastolic, represents the amount of pressure in your arteries between beats.)