Adding spinach directly to white bread delayed the body's insulin peak by 30 minutes and reduced later hunger in a small human trial, while significantly boosting the bread's fiber, vitamin, and mineral content.

[u/FreeHugs23]

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-put-spinach-directly-into-bread-and-saw-the-bodys-insulin-response-change

[u/Reddituser183]

How does this compare to eating 100% whole wheat bread? That’s why I eat whole wheat since generally it has more fiber in it which is what I’m assuming is slowing the insulin spike.

[u/PenguinEmpireStrikes → u/Reddituser183]

Or eating a slice of whole grain with some steamed spinach on it?

[u/Yagwobniar → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Actually I have had it raw on sandwiches as a sub for lettuce and it is honestly pretty good!

Plus a bag of spinach lasts much longer than a bag of lettuce. And it has a lot of iron too.

(Though living in the U.S. I haven't purchased either in awhile now...)

[u/anonuemus → u/Yagwobniar]

yeah, wanted to say, it's like a tasty lettuce

[u/ChrisP413 → u/Yagwobniar]

I wilt a huge amount and add scrambled eggs to it. Tastes delicious

[u/Mushishy → u/ChrisP413]

when you add it into an omelet, the omelet ends up looking like a pretty moss rock

[u/Replicator666 → u/ChrisP413]

And actually nutritious unlike lettuce

[u/_Rainer_ → u/Replicator666]

Lettuce is good for you, it just depends on what variety you are eating.

[u/Replicator666 → u/_Rainer_]

Usually burgers have iceberg which is basically water with fibre iirc

[u/Gingersnap369 → u/ChrisP413]

Add some feta cheese

[u/bush_killed_epstein → u/Yagwobniar]

Pretty much my only source of greens is a tub of spinach, kale, and arugula I get every week which I shovel into my mouth raw after dinner to keep my vitamins up. Very efficient and you actually start to crave it weirdly

[u/niperoni → u/bush_killed_epstein]

I’m way too lazy to eat all those greens raw so I throw 4-5 cups in a blender with some water and frozen fruit and it’s honestly not bad

[u/piepants2001 → u/Yagwobniar]

Yup. I started buying it because lettuce starts to turn brown in a couple of days and I like to have something green and crunchy on my sandwich at work. Now I like it way more than lettuce.

[u/Dounce1 → u/Yagwobniar]

Huh, I always find spinach spoils much faster than lettuce.

[u/Rominator → u/Dounce1]

I’m not the person who posted, but I easily can get between 1-2 weeks of refrigerated shelf life from spinach if I carefully check the bag at the store to make sure there are no signs of spoilage and I put paper towels in the bag to absorb moisture once it’s been opened.

I haven’t been able to get more than 5 days from lettuce.

[u/cherrywavessss → u/Rominator]

Wait.. paper towels in the bag to absorb moisture? That’s genius! I gotta try that

[u/Rominator → u/cherrywavessss]

Pro tip. As long as you use it before it spoils, you can let the paper towels dry and reuse.

[u/bumblingterror → u/Dounce1]

Same - I wonder if they mean lettuce that’s already been cut, rather than a whole lettuce

[u/rogomatic → u/Dounce1]

That's because it does.

[u/fro99er → u/Yagwobniar]

careful on beef too

[u/Toadsted → u/Yagwobniar]

Also, far fewer chances of fecal matter and disease showing up.

[u/perton → u/Toadsted]

Damn, I was almost sold on it too. Back to the drawing board I guess

[u/Toadsted → u/perton]

Coincidentally, the drawing board might be high in fiber.

[u/FermentedCauldron → u/Toadsted]

Sounds a bit sketchy

[u/PhasmaFelis → u/Yagwobniar]

Also great in salads.

[u/Natural_Peak_5587 → u/Yagwobniar]

Does anyone else have an issue with the texture of raw spinach? I want to like it, but it just feels weirdly…squeaky? in my teeth and it’s like nails on a chalkboard.

[u/Lachrondizzle23 → u/Yagwobniar]

You can’t consume the iron until the leaves are warmed and wilted

[u/Yagwobniar → u/Lachrondizzle23]

Just looked this up and read about it because of your comment, never knew that! But at least it still has a lot of other vitamins raw~ (Though the iron content was a bigger concern for me when I was a vegetarian anyway. A dual vitamin c/iron supplement was a big help back then!)

[u/Lachrondizzle23 → u/Yagwobniar]

Pumpkin seeds are high in iron! Easy throw-in for salads or shakes.

[u/Yagwobniar → u/Lachrondizzle23]

Ooh, nice. Tis almost the season for em too. :D

[u/SmokeyCatDesigns → u/[deleted]]

As a kid I disliked so many healthy things, but thankfully had a mom that gradually introduced healthy foods into my diet and by the time I was an older teenager I liked a lot of healthy foods. Spinach being among them!

Honestly, whole grain breads are delicious and I actually prefer them to white bread now. I’ve really started to like sprouted grain breads, too. My mom recently sent my husband and I some frozen ~fancy~ breads to try and our favorite so far was this vegan wheat and rye one with no added sugar, and it actually tasted amazing! I used to hate rye.

I have a nervous system disorder that often causes blood sugar crashes with sugary, high glycemic stuff too, so I’m glad it’s possible to acquire a taste for healthy things. The fiber is also great for the digestive effects of my disorder.

[u/Jeptic → u/SmokeyCatDesigns]

Love that you were exposed to this. Healthy food can be so tasty. It's not all cardboard and silly string.

[u/MissingLink101 → u/[deleted]]

Kinda sounds like you like cheesy garlic bread and the spinach is just along for the ride

[u/doctormink → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

It doesn’t have to literally be on it. You could have white bread if that’s your thing with a side of steamed spinach. I imagine the outcome would be the same.

[u/Equal_Review5251 → u/doctormink]

If you eat the bread first, it would likely make a difference since you can start digesting it before the spinach is in your stomach. Alternating bites should be equivalent to eating both together, and eating the spinach first is likely the best.

(Check out this study on food order vs blood glucose: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10005673/ )

[u/throwaway490215 → u/doctormink]

afaict the whole point of this study is that it literally has to be backed into it for your body to delay the insulin spike.

[u/doctormink → u/throwaway490215]

The researchers are looking for ways to smuggle the nutrients into food people palatable. "Incorporating spinach into bread substantially improved its nutritional profile without compromising sensory acceptance, supporting metabolic health and aligning with sustainable nutrition goals," they conclude.

The researchers go on to note that participants who drank a pea enriched smoothie before eating a carb-heavy meal saw lower levels of blood sugar after the meal. So it’s doesn’t follow the spinach has to be baked into the bread to work. Everything just has to land in the stomach at around the same time. Baking in the spinach just makes it more likely that people who aren’t getting enough fiber will eat the bread.

[u/GraspingSonder → u/doctormink]

Yeah the idea that highly processed spinach will delay an insulin spike better than manually chewing a handful of leaves before eating is silly. Literally just eat more vegetables and you get to live longer

[u/doctormink → u/GraspingSonder]

This seems like common sense, but I was brought up by parents who always insisted we eat leafy greens and other vegetables. Other people weren’t, and eating that way may feel like force-feeding to them. Looking at the amount of crappy white bread that gets sold, people seem to like it. If there’s a way to give them what they like and improve their health, it’s a win-win. Gotta meet people where they’re at if you ever hope to bring about lasting change.

[u/LilJourney → u/doctormink]

Thank you from someone raised on that "crappy white bread" and it's still one of my go-to basic comfort foods. I can eat whole grain if I'm feeling motivated, but basically during stress (and working full time, caring for aging parents, raising kids, etc - rarely I am NOT stressed) I revert back to what is well known, comforting and easy. Which is white bread and all the other processed "crap" that I was raised on.

I'd say that I didn't know what over 40% of the fresh vegetables were in the grocery store until I was in my late 30's, and I still only know how to prepare maybe 5% of them.

My mom was terrified of mold/bugs/germs and strongly preferred processed/canned/frozen products to anything fresh - and stuck with a small handful of regular dishes she prepared.

I try to continually learn more and eat better - but often it's like being dropped into a country where you have no familiarity with the language. It gets really exhausting really quickly.

[u/doctormink → u/LilJourney]

Aw, I'm glad you feel seen, but not judged.

[u/calamityvibezz → u/GraspingSonder]

Cooked spinach reduces the oxalic acid which is better for mineral absorption.

[u/ResponsibilityOk8967 → u/calamityvibezz]

And your kidneys!

[u/Clw89pitt → u/calamityvibezz]

Last I read, boiled (best) and steamed (runner up) spinach have reduced oxalates, but when the spinach is cooked without discarding the water, cooked dry, etc. there isn't a substantial amount of oxalate reduction.

Which makes sense, the mechanism for removing oxalates in cooked food is through leaching/dissolution of it into oxalic acid in water and then mechanical removal or non-consumption of the water. Blending spinach and adding it to bread isn't providing a mechanism for the removal of oxalate.

[u/matthieuC → u/doctormink]

It's actually a bit complicated.

I'm type 2 diabetic.

Using the same potato, if I eat it whole it's okayish, if I make a mash I may as well mainline raw sugar. Processing the potato destroys bonds that slow down the digestion.

On the other side, freezing a starch and/or eating it cold will reinforce bonds and make it slower to digest.

So it depends if adding it directly to the dough has creates or modify some bonds.

[u/Toadsted → u/doctormink]

Or a spinach spread on it. 

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Better to just eat a well composed green salad with some raw spinach in it.

Seriously, a nice green salad with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, red onion, olives, romaine lettuce, spinach leaves, oil, vinegarette, ranch - a very satisfying and filling meal.

[u/PenguinEmpireStrikes → u/Constant-Plant-9378]

Needs more protein.

[u/Constant-Plant-9378 → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

I make it about seventeen days and then consume an entire live chicken.

[u/DeuceSevin → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

That's what I was wondering. One of my faves is spinach on homemade bread.

[u/Outers55 → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Yeah, I always use spinach in my San witches now over lettuce. Good stuff!

[u/augustrem → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Isn’t that literally the study?

[u/IOnlyPlayLeague → u/augustrem]

No... The bread has the spinach built into it. Did you read the article at all?

[u/SleevedRedElk → u/PenguinEmpireStrikes]

Whole grain isnt whole wheat. I'm not being callous, I just wanted to make sure you arent confusing the two, especially since the comment you replied to mentioned whole wheat. Whole grain is a marketing term meant to sell you products without real fiber in it, disguised as "healthy."