Remember the cartoon about Popeye? This guy ate spinach, and after it his biceps grew really fast and he became superhero. But was it just a made-up story or does eating spinach really contribute to muscle growth? Scientists have proven, that indeed spinach does have that steroid effect. This is why it’s recommended to include this greenery into a daily diet of bodybuilders.
Why Spinach Is Beneficial to Health
In general, spinach is extremely beneficial to one’s health. Look, why.
- Spinach is rich in vitamins.
- It combats eye disease.
- Spinach has a detoxifying effect.
- It cures gum diseases.
- Eating spinach helps cure anemia.
- Spinach is useful in the fight against cancer.
- Consuming spinach contributes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
This list can be continued with many other items.
Why Bodybuilders Need Spinach in Diet
According to laboratory tests, eating spinach increases the manufacture of muscle protein by 20 per cent due to a steroid chemical phytoecdy contained in it. Consuming plenty of spinach on a daily basis can boost your muscle power.
Truth about Steroid Effects of Spinach
However, one would need to eat on average 2Ib (1kg) of spinach to achieve muscle growth similar to Popeye, claim scientists Rutgers University in New Jersey. According to New Scientist magazine, in order to gain equivalent amounts of the steroid one would need to eat even more than one kilogram of spinach daily. Remember, that even 50 grams of spinach a day would be very beneficial to every bodybuilder’s health and help your muscle grow faster, anyway.
Image source: ehponline.com
May 8th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Hey, spinach is good for nutrition no matter how you eat it or cut it! Big Ed from get-fit-at-home.co.uk
May 10th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Very interesting. Can you provide links to the sources that are mentioned?
May 11th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Alex, unfortunately we don’t dispose of the links to the mentioned studies published in the Internet. But you are free to use Google to find them.
May 12th, 2008 at 6:33 am
Is phytoecdy going to be extracted and sold like in pills og powder?
May 13th, 2008 at 12:18 am
Vegar, there’re data, that spinach extract is already used as one of the basic ingredients in some pills and dietary supplements, which suppress appetite. But we can only guess, that phytoecdy or similar steroid chemicals exist and are sold as pills or powder separately. This is a good idea for the steroid producers
May 13th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I am going to try yo juice 2lbs of spinach. Eating that many leaves would be hard.
May 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Spinach is great but it killed a few people a while back from ecoli, and that f…ed up
May 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
So Popeye was on to something.
August 15th, 2008 at 4:26 am
hey some important details to body building
October 2nd, 2008 at 11:16 pm
A friend recently recommended adding spinach to your protein shake. I was skeptical to say the least but I gave it a shot.
It turns your shake green but it doesn’t change the taste of the shake. I mean you can taste something slightly different but it’s extremely subtle.
Add some milk and about a cup of spinach. Blend it on high for a couple of minutes until the spinach is blended up. Then add the rest of your ingredients.
Hey, give it a try, you’ll be very surprised.
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:19 am
Shawn, thanks a lot for your advice! This is worth trying.