Spinach, cooked
Checked by us One serving: 85 g (about ½ cup) · 20 kcal
Lots of vitamin K1, vitamin A and folate.
Go easy: cadmium can add up.
On warfarin? Keep your vitamin K steady. Had calcium-oxalate kidney stones? The usual advice: limit oxalate-rich foods; ask your care team how much suits you. Worth knowing for some people: uncooked frozen vegetables.
Good for
How we counted this
What one serving (85 g) gives you.
Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.
The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share. ?
A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.
- A lot
Vitamin K1
Your blood needs it to clot.
Learn more
420 µg in one serving: 350% of the 120 µg a day men need, 467% of the 90 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin K fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Vitamin A
Your eyes need it to see in dim light.
Learn more
Getting enough matters; more than enough doesn’t sharpen your sight.
445 µg in one serving: 49% of the 900 µg a day men need, 64% of the 700 µg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin A fact sheet for health professionals
- A lot
Folate
Your body needs it to make DNA and to divide new cells.
Learn more
124 µg in one serving: 31% of the 400 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, folate fact sheet for health professionals
19 more nutrients below “a lot”
- Some
Magnesium
Your muscles and nerves need it to work.
Learn more
74 mg in one serving: 19% of the 400 mg a day men need, 24% of the 310 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, magnesium fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Iron
Carries oxygen in your blood.
Learn more
3.03 mg in one serving: 38% of the 8 mg a day men need, 17% of the 18 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, iron fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Vitamin B6
Helps you use protein, and your brain needs it to make its chemical messengers.
Learn more
0.21 mg in one serving: 16% of the 1.3 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B6 fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Riboflavin (B2)
Your cells use it to make energy and handle fats. It also helps turn tryptophan into niacin and activate vitamin B6.
Learn more
0.2 mg in one serving: 15% of the 1.3 mg a day men need, 18% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, riboflavin fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Vitamin E
Shields the fats in your cells from damage; your immune system uses it too.
Learn more
1.77 mg in one serving: 12% of the 15 mg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin E fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Potassium
Your nerves, muscles and kidneys need it to work.
Learn more
396 mg in one serving: 12% of the 3,400 mg a day men need, 15% of the 2,600 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, potassium fact sheet for health professionals
- Some
Calcium
Builds your bones and teeth.
Learn more
116 mg in one serving: 12% of the 1,000 mg a day.
Listed amount only. 1 absorption study of this nutrient is on file for this food, but none is quoted yet. Each one is in The numbers, with the reason. See the studies
Measured on spinach, raw: studies found about 5.1% of its calcium gets in. Why this page doesn’t count that figure is in The numbers.
Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, calcium fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Vitamin C
Your body makes collagen with it, which wounds need to heal. It also helps you absorb iron from plants.
Learn more
8.33 mg in one serving: 9% of the 90 mg a day men need, 11% of the 75 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin C fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Thiamin (B1)
Your cells use it to get energy from food, and so to grow and work.
Learn more
0.08 mg in one serving: 7% of the 1.2 mg a day men need, 7% of the 1.1 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, thiamin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)
More than 400 of your enzymes need it to work.
Learn more
0.98 mg in one serving: 6% of the 16 mg a day men need, 7% of the 14 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, niacin fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Zinc
Your immune system and healing wounds depend on it.
Learn more
0.65 mg in one serving: 6% of the 11 mg a day men need, 8% of the 8 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, zinc fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Fibre
Keeps your gut moving.
Learn more
2.04 g in one serving: 5% of the 38 g a day men need, 8% of the 25 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- A little
Omega-3: ALA
The one omega-3 your body can’t make: it must come from food. Your cells build it into their membranes and burn it for energy.
Learn more
78.2 mg in one serving: 5% of the 1,600 mg a day men need, 7% of the 1,100 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Protein
Your muscles, and every other tissue, are built and repaired from it.
Learn more
2.52 g in one serving: 5% of the 56 g a day men need, 5% of the 46 g women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. Institute of Medicine 2005, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids
- A little
Choline
Your cells need it for their membranes, and to make acetylcholine, a messenger for memory, mood and muscle control.
Learn more
16.7 mg in one serving: 3% of the 550 mg a day men need, 4% of the 425 mg women need. The word follows the smaller share, which is the share of the higher amount. ?
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, choline fact sheet for health professionals
- A little
Selenium
Your thyroid uses it to make its hormones.
Learn more
1.28 µg in one serving: 2% of the 55 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, selenium fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Omega-3: EPA + DHA
Long-chain omega-3s, built into your cell membranes. DHA is concentrated in your brain and retinas.
Learn more
0 mg in one serving: under 1% of the 250 mg a day.
Health Canada sets no daily amount for these fats, so the daily figure here is the European Food Safety Authority’s.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, omega-3 fatty acids fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin B12
Your body needs it to make red blood cells and keep nerves working.
Learn more
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 2.4 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin B12 fact sheet for health professionals
- Almost none
Vitamin D
Your body needs it to absorb calcium and keep your bones hard.
Learn more
Your skin also makes it in sunlight, so food is only one of its sources.
0 µg in one serving: under 1% of the 15 µg a day.
Source: How much of it gets in hasn’t been measured for this food yet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, vitamin D fact sheet for health professionals
From our evidence: Spinach: what's on the label, and what the studies found gets in →
Watch out
How we counted this
Cadmium
Go easyBuilds up in the kidneys over years.
From our evidence: Cadmium: the dose, not the presence →
Learn more
470 g a week takes an average adult to the limit
You’d need about 5.5 servings a week of this food alone to use up what an average adult’s intake leaves under the limit.
“Go easy” here because, for adults who already take in the most from other food, a serving a day can push past the limit.
One serving carries 9.2 µg
How we got this
A serving a day adds 52% to what an average adult already takes in: a share of that intake, not of the limit. With that serving every day, an average adult would be at about 108% of the limit.
An average adult already takes in about 71% of the limit. One serving a day uses up the room left in about 5.5 days of the week.
Counted from zero, with no allowance for what adults already take in from other food, 1,600 g a week would reach the limit.
Why this rating: Eating it daily comes to 595 g a week, which is more than the 470 g of room left before the limit.
The dataset’s rating: Go easy: can push past the limit
The dataset’s original note, counted from zero and kept as written: A daily serving adds 52% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), short of doubling it, so no cap.
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
Checked for lead: fine at normal amounts.
Lead
Nothing to watchYou’d need about 35 servings a day, every day, of this food alone to double the lead an average adult already gets. No dose is known to be safe, so doubling is where we flag.
Learn more
A serving a day adds 2.9% to what an average adult already takes in. There is no limit to take a share of.
One serving carries 1 µg
How we got this
The dataset’s rating: Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake
adds 2.9% to average intake
Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites) · grade B
For some people
Don't eat frozen spinach uncooked if pregnant, 60+, under 5 or immunocompromised
With warfarin: keep vitamin K intake consistent
Learn more
Eat a steady amount, not none. This line goes on every food whose serving gives 10% or more of the daily vitamin K; a few foods below that carry it too, where a source names them. One serving here has about 420 µg of vitamin K1.
A serving carries more oxalate than its own calcium can bind.
Learn more
Boiling moves part of the oxalate into the cooking water, so a boiled and drained serving carries less, but not none: in one study of nine vegetables, boiling cut the soluble oxalate by 30–87%.
Most kidney stones are calcium oxalate. If you’ve had these stones, the usual advice is to limit oxalate-rich foods and to ask your care team how much oxalate suits you; that advice is written for people who have had them.
Source: Siener, Nutrients 2021: Nutrition and kidney stone disease · NIDDK, Eating, diet and nutrition for kidney stones
How we got this
The method flags a food when a serving carries more than 13 mg of oxalate beyond what its own calcium can bind.
Worth knowing
No limit applies, so none is rated.
Sugar
0.4 g of sugar in a 85 g serving, natural and added together.
Learn more
Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.
Also checked (nothing to act on) · 1
Noted for context, or not measured in this food yet.
Context only: 35% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) per serving
Better options
How we counted this
“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.
Every amount below is for the same weight, 85 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.
A food is listed only if it gives clearly more: at least a fifth more than this food, and at least 10% of the daily amount more.
More of what it’s good for
More vitamin A
Carrots, raw710 µg in 85 g (this food: 445 µg) · but less vitamin K1 and folate
Amounts as listed, not adjusted for how much gets in.
For vitamin K1: Mustard greens, cooked would lead, in the same 85 g, but is left out (not tested for contaminants yet).
For folate: Edamame, cooked would lead, in the same 85 g, but is left out (not tested for contaminants yet).
None of the 23 other vegetables we could compare gives clearly more nutrients per serving.
Your goal
Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.
None of the 23 other vegetables we could compare gives clearly more nutrients, protein and fibre per calorie.
Building muscle: more protein and more calories, per 100 g. In a typical diet most protein comes from other foods; among vegetables, these help most.
Green peas, cooked5.2 g protein · 78 kcal per 100 g
1 food out of the 23 other vegetables we’ve checked and could compare gives clearly more protein, and more calories, per 100 g.
Why some foods aren’t suggested
Left out: Mustard greens, cooked (not tested for contaminants yet).
Left out: Edamame, cooked (not tested for contaminants yet).
Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.
The numbers
Open every value
Name in the database: Spinach, boiled, drained
How the serving was set: 85 g (Health Canada V.1)
Listed nutrients, per 100 g
For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omega-3: ALA | 0.092 g | 0.08 g | 0.4 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Calcium | 136 mg | 115.6 mg | 591.3 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| 136 mg | 115.6 mg | 591.3 mg | copy of USDA · not used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2214 | C | |
| Carbohydrate | 3.75 g | 3.19 g | 16.3 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Choline | 19.7 mg | 16.75 mg | 85.65 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Energy | 23 kcal | 19.55 kcal | – | FDC Energy (kcal) used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) | – |
| Omega-3: EPA + DHA | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fat | 0.26 g | 0.22 g | 1.13 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 0.043 g | 0.04 g | 0.19 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fibre | 2.4 g | 2.04 g | 10.43 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Folate | 146 µg | 124.1 µg | 634.78 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Iron | 3.57 mg | 3.03 mg | 15.52 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Magnesium | 87 mg | 73.95 mg | 378.26 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents) | 1.157 mg | 0.98 mg | 5.03 mg | listed used | Canadian Nutrient File 2026 #2214 | C |
| Phosphorus | 56 mg | 47.6 mg | 243.48 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Potassium | 466 mg | 396.1 mg | 2,026.09 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Protein | 2.97 g | 2.52 g | 12.91 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.236 mg | 0.2 mg | 1.03 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Selenium | 1.5 µg | 1.28 µg | 6.52 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Sodium | 70 mg | 59.5 mg | 304.35 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Sugars | 0.43 g | 0.37 g | 1.87 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.095 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.41 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin A | 524 µg | 445.4 µg | 2,278.26 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin B12 | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.242 mg | 0.21 mg | 1.05 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin C | 9.8 mg | 8.33 mg | 42.61 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin E | 2.08 mg | 1.77 mg | 9.04 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin K1 | 493.6 µg | 419.56 µg | 2,146.09 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Water | 91.21 g | 77.53 g | 396.57 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Zinc | 0.76 mg | 0.65 mg | 3.3 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving | Per 100 calories | How | Source | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | 6,288 µg | 5,344.8 µg | 27,339.13 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Copper | 0.174 mg | 0.15 mg | 0.76 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Ash | 1.81 g | 1.54 g | 7.87 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Caffeine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Theobromine | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Energy | 96 kj | 81.6 kj | 417.39 kj | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fluoride, F | 37.8 µg | 32.13 µg | 164.35 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin A, IU | 10,481 iu | 8,908.85 iu | 45,569.57 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Carotene, alpha | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0 iu | 0 iu | 0 iu | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Folic acid | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Folate, food | 146 µg | 124.1 µg | 634.78 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Folate, DFE | 146 µg | 124.1 µg | 634.78 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Betaine | 89 mg | 75.65 mg | 386.96 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Tryptophan | 0.04 g | 0.03 g | 0.17 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Threonine | 0.127 g | 0.11 g | 0.55 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Isoleucine | 0.152 g | 0.13 g | 0.66 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Leucine | 0.231 g | 0.2 g | 1 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Lysine | 0.182 g | 0.15 g | 0.79 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Methionine | 0.055 g | 0.05 g | 0.24 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Cystine | 0.035 g | 0.03 g | 0.15 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Phenylalanine | 0.134 g | 0.11 g | 0.58 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Tyrosine | 0.113 g | 0.1 g | 0.49 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Valine | 0.168 g | 0.14 g | 0.73 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Arginine | 0.168 g | 0.14 g | 0.73 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Histidine | 0.066 g | 0.06 g | 0.29 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Alanine | 0.147 g | 0.12 g | 0.64 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Aspartic acid | 0.25 g | 0.21 g | 1.09 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Glutamic acid | 0.357 g | 0.3 g | 1.55 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Glycine | 0.14 g | 0.12 g | 0.61 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Proline | 0.116 g | 0.1 g | 0.5 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Serine | 0.107 g | 0.09 g | 0.47 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin E, added | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 4:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 6:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 8:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 10:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 12:0 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.006 g | 0.01 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 16:0 | 0.033 g | 0.03 g | 0.14 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| SFA 18:0 | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| MUFA 18:1 | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 18:2 | 0.017 g | 0.01 g | 0.07 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.092 g | 0.08 g | 0.4 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.003 g | 0 g | 0.01 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 0.006 g | 0.01 g | 0.03 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 0.109 g | 0.09 g | 0.47 g | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 11,308 µg | 9,611.8 µg | 49,165.22 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Manganese | 0.935 mg | 0.79 mg | 4.07 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Niacin (B3, preformed) | 0.49 mg | 0.42 mg | 2.13 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.145 mg | 0.12 mg | 0.63 mg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
| Retinol | 0 µg | 0 µg | 0 µg | listed used | US food database (USDA SR Legacy) #168463 | C |
Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.
Absorption studies
Studies of how much of a nutrient gets in; those done in animals are marked. This page quotes a figure only from a study that passes our screen: adults, graded A, of this food in this preparation, with a test dose on record and a source that has passed our evidence check. The exception is calcium on our calcium card: its figure comes from the card’s own study, checked with the card, and is marked “used” even where that study misses a step of this screen. The others are listed so nothing is hidden, each with the first check it fails.
No study of this food passes the screen yet, so no absorption figure is quoted.
| Study | Nutrient | Absorbed | Test dose | People | Grade | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heaney, Weaver & Recker 1988: calcium absorbability from spinach vs milk, double-isotope (45Ca/47Ca) method not stated · "test spinach"; whether raw, boiled or frozen not stated abstract only | Calcium | 5.1 % | 200 mg | 13 | B | Not used: we haven’t confirmed how the food was prepared in this study. |
Hazard rows as the dataset rates them
- Cadmium · Go easy: can push past the limit · A daily serving adds 52% to an average adult's cadmium intake (EFSA 2012 adult median, 1.77 µg/kg body weight/week; Canadian adults in 2007: 1.2-1.75), short of doubling it, so no cap. · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Lead · Nothing to watch: doesn’t double average intake · adds 2.9% to average intake · Health Canada Total Diet Study, trace elements · B
- Nitrate · Context · Context only: 35% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) per serving · EFSA 2008 · A
- Uncooked frozen vegetables · Worth knowing · Don't eat frozen spinach uncooked if pregnant, 60+, under 5 or immunocompromised · Health Canada, Food safety for vulnerable populations: foods to avoid · A
- Vitamin K and warfarin · Worth knowing · With warfarin: keep vitamin K intake consistent · Warfarin product label · A
Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements
- oxalate total: 477 ± 8 after boiling (raw 978 ± 5) mg/100 g · fresh weight · boiled in water until soft (12-15 min for vegetables) · grade B · Akhtar 2011
Sources
- Akhtar MS, Israr B, Bhatty N, Ali A (2011) Effect of cooking on soluble and insoluble oxalate contents in selected Pakistani vegetables and beans. Int J Food Prop 14(1):241-249 · doi:10.1080/10942910903326056
akhtar2011· abstract only · Publisher copyright (journal article) - Health Canada, Canadian Nutrient File 2026 (14th edition)
cnf-2026· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - EFSA CONTAM Panel (2008) Nitrate in vegetables. EFSA Journal 689 · doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2008.689
efsa-2008-nitrate· full text read · EFSA Journal: CC BY-ND 4.0 - USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018-04
fdc-sr-legacy-2018-04· dataset · CC0 1.0 (public domain) - Health Canada, Canadian Total Diet Study – Trace Elements (2005–2018 composites)
hc-tds-trace-elements· dataset · Open Government Licence – Canada 2.0 - Health Canada, Food safety for vulnerable populations: foods to avoid (uncooked frozen vegetables)
hc-vulnerable-foods· page · Government of Canada terms (Crown copyright; not OGL) - Heaney RP, Weaver CM, Recker RR. Calcium absorbability from spinach. Am J Clin Nutr 1988;47:707–9 · doi:10.1093/ajcn/47.4.707 · PMID 3354496
pmid:3354496· abstract only · Publisher copyright (journal article) - Siener R. Nutrition and kidney stone disease. Nutrients 2021;13(6):1917 (secondary table; sesame value attributed to Hönow & Hesse 2002, Food Chem 78:511-521) · doi:10.3390/nu13061917
siener2021-kidney-stones· full text read · CC BY 4.0 (MDPI; not checked on the page) - Warfarin product monograph / label: keep vitamin K intake consistent
warfarin-label· page · Product label (manufacturer copyright)
Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.
The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.
The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.
Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.