Posted on: Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Take it or leaf it
| • | Spinach reigns |
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Washington Post
Q. Who eats the most, men or women?
A. Women generally consume more spinach than men — 2.53 pounds per capita annually, compared with 2.21 for men. Women eat more fresh and frozen spinach, while men eat more canned, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Q. Who eats the least?
A. Teens. Under a pound a year per capita, with teen girls eating just half a pound — the lowest among all age groups.
Q. Where do spinach-eaters live?
A. According to the USDA, the Northeast and the West eat the most fresh spinach, while the South eats the most canned. The Midwest eats the least spinach in all categories.
Q. How good for you is it?
A. One cup of spinach has 7 calories, but provides 56 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C, 14 percent of vitamin A and 5 percent of iron.
Q. Who is Popeye?
A. The spinach hero is credited with spurring a 33 percent increase in spinach consumption, saving the spinach industry during the 1930s Depression, according to King Features. Popeye first appeared as a comic strip in 1929. In 1933, he made his way to cartoons, where he would eat a can of spinach to give him extra strength before a brawl.
