Steamed Spinach Smoothie Cubes
Worried about Oxolates stealing all those precious nutrients from your green smoothies? Then here is the solution!
Spinach is a very popular choice for use in green smoothies and for good reason too! Spinach has very little taste and is packed full of amazing nutrients such as iron, calcium, vitamin K, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), folate, manganese, copper, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin E and vitamin C to name a few.
But spinach has one big drawback….Oxolates. These are substances in food that bind to calcium and iron during digestion. They therefore stop us absorbing these valuable nutrients by as much as 90%. Any Oxolate not bound to nutrients will travel through the kidney and can increase the risk of kidney stones.
How can we reduce Oxolate levels?
It is possible to reduce the Oxolate content of spinach by as much as 87% when boiled or 53% when steamed. I tend to opt for the steamed option as it also helps to preserve many of the other nutrients such as vitamin C.
Try my steamed spinach smoothie cubes perfect to add a nutritional boost to your smoothies while reducing the oxolate levels and adding a nice chill to the mix.
Steamed Spinach Smoothie Cubes
Equipment
- Steamer or pan for boiling
- Strainer
- Ice cube tray
Ingredients
- 1 Bag Organic Spinach
Instructions
- Wash your spinach (I always buy unwashed spinach as it lasts longer and wash it when I need it).
- Place in steamer (you could boil it if you prefer). If you don't have a steamer then you can use a metal strainer or seive resting over boiling water in a pan.
- Steam untill wilted and soft.
- Allow to cool and place into ice cube tray. I use one with a lid to keep fresh. Alternatively freeze and then remove the cubes and place in a freezer safe storage container with a lid.
- Freeze for a minimum of 2 hours or until solid
- Add to your favourite smoothie recipe for a chilled nutritional boost.
