Full Nutrition Facts (USDA FoodData Central, per 100g)

The table below compares spinach nutrition per 100g, raw versus cooked (representative values).

Raw vs Cooked: The Real Story

Per 100g, raw and cooked spinach provide similar calories and protein, but the profiles differ — cooking cuts vitamin C and folate and shifts several minerals (see the table). The difference is volume: a cup of raw spinach is 30g (7 cal, 0.9g protein); a cup of cooked is 180g (41 cal, 5.4g protein). Cooking wilts roughly 6 cups of raw leaves into 1 cup cooked (it varies with the leaves and method), so cooked spinach delivers far more nutrition per serving simply because you eat more of it.

Trade-offs of cooking:

• Loses: vitamin C and folate (heat- and water-sensitive), some potassium.
• Gains: more iron and calcium per cup (you simply eat more spinach), and boiling and draining reduces some soluble oxalate, which can otherwise bind minerals — though this does not guarantee a specific absorption boost.
• Gentler method: steam or sauté briefly instead of long boiling — typically keeps more folate and vitamin C.

Does Spinach Have Protein?

Yes, but modestly: 2.9g per 100g raw. A realistic serving, 2 cups raw in a salad (60g), gives ~1.7g; a cup of cooked gives 5.4g. Spinach is not a protein source to build a diet on, but among vegetables it is respectable, and its protein comes with almost no calories. That modest protein is one small part of the story — the vitamins and minerals are the headline. For a “vegetables high in protein” angle: it beats lettuce, cucumber, and celery, but loses to peas, edamame, and broccoli.

The Iron Question

Spinach’s famous iron content (thanks, Popeye) is real but non-heme iron, which the body absorbs less efficiently than heme iron from meat — absorption varies widely with your iron status and the rest of the meal. Two fixes: eat spinach with vitamin C (lemon juice, bell peppers, tomatoes), which can substantially improve non-heme iron absorption; and know that cooking (especially boiling and draining) reduces some oxalates that can bind minerals, though the effect varies by method. That vitamin-C pairing is the simplest way to unlock more iron from spinach nutrition. Spinach contributes to iron intake but should not be anyone’s primary iron strategy.

Eye Health: Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Spinach is one of the richest sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids that accumulate in the retina. Higher intakes are linked with lower age-related macular degeneration risk in observational research — an association, not proof that spinach prevents it. They are fat-soluble, so spinach sautéed in olive oil or dressed with oil helps your body absorb more of them than fat-free preparations.

Nitrates and Blood Pressure

Spinach is naturally high in dietary nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide, a vasodilator. This is the same pathway behind beetroot juice’s studied blood-pressure effects, and leafy greens share it. Research on dietary nitrates and blood pressure is ongoing and results are mixed, though — spinach fits a blood-pressure-friendly eating pattern (less sodium, more potassium), but it is not proven to lower blood pressure on its own.

How Much Spinach Per Day?

1-2 cups cooked (or 3-4 cups raw) daily is a reasonable, realistic amount — there is no official spinach target, and variety matters more. More is fine for most people, with two cautions: if you take warfarin, the vitamin K matters — keep your intake consistent day to day and do not suddenly change it without telling your doctor (you do not need to avoid spinach); and the oxalates matter for people prone to calcium oxalate kidney stones.