All Articles, Food & Nutrition

Frozen Spinach for Breakfast?

Print This Post

November 10, 2009
	Jo Wehage : Head Operations Ego

Sure, why not? I have frozen spinach for breakfast almost every morning.  I think you should too. Just think, Popeye would have nothing on you! It’s quick, it’s easy and the enormous boost it can add to your health status make it worth your consideration.

Now, before I lose you know this – I never taste the stuff. I taste mostly blueberries and bananas. I blend it into a morning smoothie concoction almost every day. If you have a blender, and can allow yourself 5 minutes for better health then you’re in business. Not a smoothie person? Well, I ask you to reconsider the option for good reason.

For Failed Foodies Like Me
I don’t like to cook, I have an unpredictable schedule, I have been known to let fresh produce rot and I’m lousy in the kitchen. The one thing I get consistently right is breakfast. I feel good that even if I trip up the rest of the day, at least I supplied my body with wickedly good fuel during the most important meal of the day. A meal I used to skip on a regular basis, I might add.

While spinach is just one of the nutrient gems in my a.m. concoction (recipe below) I focus on it today because it’s so easy to do and hard to refute the benefits.

But Why?
I was inspired to add spinach to my smoothie after I saw a DVD by Dr. Michael Greger called, 2007 Annual Review of Clinical Nutrition. He does this same review every year highlighting that year’s best in nutrition research. In 2007 he profiled a study that demonstrated that dark green leafy veggies could cut your cancer risk in half.  How much before an impact was seen? Just three measly leaves of spinach (31g) cut your risk of breast cancer and endometrial cancer by half. Three leaves people!

Now, for those of you who chomp on dark green leaves in a daily salad – special bonus points for you. Unfortunately for many a fresh salad is a goal with sporadic results. 

And it’s not just cancer. Research shows that spinach helps promote heart health, brain health and it’s great for your eyes. The impressive nutrients in spinach are also free radical scavengers, promote bone health, digestive health and even reduce inflammation.

The How-To
Like I said, I like adding frozen spinach to a morning smoothie because I know its powerful medicine and it’s running through my body first thing. I buy a bag of frozen ORGANIC spinach for a couple of reasons. First, organic is important because spinach is consistently one of the foods ranked highest for pesticide residues. Second, buying it frozen means it was picked at the peak of freshness and I don’t have to worry about consuming it before it wilts.

I use the same BPA-free shaker cup, with measurements etched on the side, every day. I have more than one so it’s ready for me on the kitchen counter every morning for a fresh batch of what has become known in my house as Function Fuel.

Function Fuel:

(combine all ingredients in a blender)

8 oz rice, soy or almond milk (not a big fan of dairy)

½ or 1 small banana

½ – ¾  cup of frozen blueberries (I buy them in 3lb bags from Sam’s)

1 scoop of protein powder (currently using a chocolate whey protein)

1/3 cup of frozen organic spinach

water if needed to reach desired consistency 

I also toss in organic sencha green tea leaves, cinnamon, chia seed, gingko biloba, brewer’s yeast and a host of other superfood items (It’s the closest thing I have to a chemistry set.) but we’ll hold on to that for our level two super-smoothie concoction.

Try this on for size and let me know how it goes. Work it into a routine. I promise you’ll start to hear your cells sing with glee as you approach the kitchen each morning.

Power up!