Nope, I’m not kidding! Popeye was onto something. There’s a chemical in spinach that means you should be adding more spinach recipes to your diet, for muscle mass!!
(And, by the way, since I know spinach isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite, I’m going to include two AWESOME spinach recipes at the bottom of this article that will change your view. I guarantee it!!)
Now, I’m sure it’s no secret to you that spinach is healthy. But if someone asks you why it’s good for you, you probably think about the positive health effects of the iron thats good for your blood!
Or, you might know it as a good source of vitamin A for vision and vitamin C for immune health.
But you’ve probably never heard of “ecdysterone” the chemical (which, by the way, you can buy as a “spinach abstract” supplement powder or pill). It’s a pretty awesome chemical that increases your muscle mass, and can give you more athletic skill just in general!
How much? Well, again, let’s just say Popeye was actually pretty realistic. In fact, the World Anti-Doping Agency, that is in charge of what should be banned for athletes in events like the Olympics, wants to ban spinach extract. They say it’s too “steroid-like.” 🤷♀️
There was a study done in Berlin showing that if you give people a pill containing spinach extract, versus a placebo pill, there’s definitely a real difference! They tested about 50 men over 10 weeks, giving them this spinach extract that has the same amount as 9 pounds of spinach has. Then, all the participants were given the same workout plan. At the end of the study, the participants who consumed the spinach extract not only had more muscle mass, but they actually increased in strength up to three times more than the non-spinach-eaters!
In fact, one of the researchers, Maria Parr, admitted that when the researchers started, they thought there would be a difference…but not THAT big of a difference!! They were so surprised that they felt it was their duty to report spinach extract as being a steroid because it had such a performance-enhancing effect that athletes who took these spinach pills had an unfair advantage!
Either way, I’m certainly going to keep on enjoying my spinach. Even more so, now!
For those of you who aren’t spinach fans, feel free to take an ecdysterone pill…or try these two spinach recipes rated “5 stars”!
There’s this spinach puffs recipe by Erin Clarke, that she says are “creamy on the inside, buttery and flaky on the outside…”
And there are these Spinach & Kale Bites from Aldi, which taste just like your fave French fries, since potatoes are the first ingredient.
Overall, I think you’ll have no trouble making spinach, and its magic ingredient ecdysterone, a regular part of your diet.
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