As Popeye so wisely taught Baby-Boomers when we were children, spinach is an incredibly nutritious food.  But the interesting news is that spinach juice can also reduce hunger cravings by up to 95%.  It’s important to understand that there are two types of hunger.  “Hedonic hunger” is the craving for processed junk food.  “Homeostatic hunger” is generated from the body’s natural instinct to maintain energy and nutrient levels required to run the body.

When processed, nutrient-deficient food is consumed, the digestive system runs faster, because the food has already been broken down, and there is very little (if any) nutrition to assimilate.  Consuming fast food often depletes nutrient levels, as it requires the body to supply vitamins and minerals to process the adulterated components.  The appetite is not shut down because the body’s nutrient requirements are not met, so the person is always hungry.  This is where the statement “Over fed and under nourished” comes from.

When nutrient-rich food is consumed, the digestive process operates at a normal pace; because fiber, healthy fats, proteins and nutrients all require the digestive system to work more efficiently.  This is an important key to healthy digestion and nourishing the body.  It’s also important to sit down, chew your food well, relax, and enjoy your food in order to aide in digestion.

Spinach juice extract contains a unique compound called thylakoids.  Recent studies show that it can decrease hedonic hunger pangs by as much as 95%.  Thylakoids have shown to suppress hedonic hunger by fueling the body’s satiety hormones.

Eating spinach provides plentiful amounts of fiber, vitamins (including A, K, & folate), anti-oxidants, and alkaline minerals.  Spinach is a super food that builds the blood and supplies protein.  But if you want to curb hedonic cravings, you’ll need to drink the juice, because that’s where your body will find the concentration of thylakoids.   The best Spinach juice goes through a centrifuge filtration process, which crushes the leaves and extracts the thylakoid compound.  If straight spinach juice is unappealing to you, you can always add some green apple to sweeten it a bit.  It’s best to consume the juice early in the day to suppress unwanted cravings all day long.

Eloise Nelson, Ph.D