Spinach is not killing you

By: Nikolaj Kristensen
July 7 2023

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Context

In a video posted on Instagram on June 28 British entrepreneur Saba Yussouf claims that spinach is unhealthy as it stops minerals and nutrients from being absorbed in the body. 

“I get really p*ssed off when people think spinach is a health food. It is not. It’s literally an anti-health food. Spinach has one of the highest levels of oxalates in any other food or veg. Oxalates are an anti-nutrient. They bind to the minerals and the nutrients in your body and they stop them from being absorbed,” Yussouf says in a clip titled ‘Why spinach is k*lling you.’ She originally made these statements on an episode of the Frankie Lee Podcast that aired on June 25.

However, Yussouf’s statements lack important nuance as spinach is generally considered a healthy vegetable in the human diet due to its high concentration of vitamins and other nutrients. Eating spinach won't kill you.  

In Fact

Richard Frazier, professor of food science at the University of Reading, said to Logically Facts that to characterize spinach as unhealthy or harmful is a fallacy. “Spinach is considered to be a healthy vegetable in the human diet because of its high concentration of nutrients, such as beta carotene (provitamin A), lutein, folate, vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. It is a particularly excellent source of vitamin C,” Frazier explains. 

Spinach can, however, contain high amounts of oxalic acid, and related oxalate, which can lead to the formation of calcium oxalate urinary stones. “Individuals that are susceptible to urinary stones should be mindful of their intake of dietary oxalate and under dietician advice may be advised to limit intake of spinach and other foods known to be high in oxalate,” says Frazier. 

According to the National Institutes for Health, men are more susceptible to urinary stones than women. Other factors that make an individual more likely to develop urinary stones include lack of water intake and certain medical conditions, such as chronic bowel inflammation, kidney disease, and gout.

Oxalic acid is considered an anti-nutritional factor as it can impair the uptake of iron and calcium from food in the gut. The greatest risk here is to the absorption of calcium and iron from the spinach itself, rather than its impact on the absorption of calcium from other foods, explains Frazier. He concludes that on balance, spinach is very healthy, given the nutrients it provides.

Jill Joyce, assistant professor of public health nutrition at Oklahoma State University, told Logically Facts that other leafy greens, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and tea also contain the “anti-nutrients” oxalates and phytates, but that these aren't the only nutrients in these foods to pay attention to.

“These foods, like spinach, contain so many other nutrients in them with significant health benefits, the benefits of these foods for healthy weight management, supporting heart health, reducing risk of cancer, and so on actually outweigh the cons mentioned,” says Joyce, who advises a varied diet to counteract any concerns.

According to the Mayo Clinic, spinach can boost your immune system and contains compounds that are protective against age-related vision diseases, as well as heart disease and some types of cancer.

The Verdict

Spinach can contain high amounts of oxalate, which can lead to urinary stones in some people. Those susceptible to urinary stones should be mindful of their intake of dietary oxalate and may be advised to limit their intake of spinach. However, spinach is generally considered a very healthy vegetable in the human diet due to its high concentration of vitamins and other nutrients. As mothers usually say when the kids refuse to eat their veggies, it won't kill you to try it. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.