Calcium in paneer restricts the absorption of iron from the spinach making it an unfit combo
In one of her recent reels, nutritionist Nmami Agarwal shares with us the reason why we should eat spinach and cottage cheese together. Palak paneer is considered a healthy and filling Indian dish and is consumed by many of us. However, there are reasons why you might want to stop eating this delicious recipe.
Love palak paneer? This might not be the perfect combination, here's how
She says, “there are certain combinations that don't go well together. Healthy eating doesn't mean just eating the right food items. It means to eat the right food items in the right combinations.”
She explains how spinach and paneer are not a healthy combination. She elaborates, “There are certain combinations that inhibit the nutrient absorption of each other when eaten together. One such combination is iron and calcium. Spinach is rich in iron and paneer is rich in calcium. Calcium inhibits the absorption of iron!”
Since milk is used to make paneer aka cottage cheese, it is a great source of calcium and protein. The nutrients iron, folic acid, vitamins A, E, and K, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which help to prevent diseases like skin cancer, are abundant in spinach, a green leafy vegetable. When consumed together, the calcium in the paneer restricts the iron absorption from spinach.
Since less than 5% of the iron in spinach is absorbed by the body, it offers relatively less iron to our bodies. Oxalate, an antinutrient molecule found in high concentrations in spinach, hinders the body from absorbing calcium and also leads to very limited absorption of iron.
“So for maximum iron utilisation let's have palak aloo or palak corn instead.” She adds at the end.
Look at her reel:
Make sure to keep this in mind when cooking with either of these ingredients in the future.
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