August 26, 2025 | 11:05 am
Spinach is often chosen as a healthy option in daily menus because it is rich in iron, vitamins, and antioxidants. However, consuming spinach is not always safe when combined with certain types of food. The wrong combination can reduce the absorption of essential nutrients or even cause digestive problems.
Here are the types of foods that should not be consumed together with spinach, as summarized from Spoon University, LookChem, and Kamereo:
1. Spinach and Tofu
One popular and well-liked food combination is spinach and tofu. Despite sounding healthy, this combination should be avoided. Spinach contains oxalic acid that can react with the calcium in tofu to form compounds that are difficult for the body to digest. When these compounds accumulate, the risk of kidney stone formation increases, which is dangerous for health.
Therefore, although spinach and tofu each have high nutritional content, consuming them together is not recommended. Understanding the right food combinations will help maintain optimal nutritional benefits and prevent unwanted health risks.
2. Spinach and Cucumber
Although spinach is rich in vitamin C, consuming it together with cucumber can disrupt the absorption of this vitamin by the body, reducing its optimal benefits. Cucumbers contain certain enzymes that can degrade the vitamin C in spinach. As a result, the body does not receive an adequate intake of vitamin C to maintain immune function and skin health.
3. Spinach and Shrimp
Spinach contains a high amount of oxalic acid, while shrimp is rich in calcium. If consumed together, they have the potential to form calcium oxalate, which can inhibit calcium absorption and reduce the nutritional benefits of both foods.
In addition, the formation of calcium oxalate in the body poses the risk of developing kidney stones if it occurs repeatedly. It is important to be cautious of this food combination for optimal bone health and kidney function.
5. Spinach and Eel
Eel has warm and sweet properties that are often used in traditional Eastern medicine to increase blood and energy. Meanwhile, spinach has cooling properties and functions to lower body heat.
This difference in properties makes it difficult for the body to digest them together, thus posing the risk of digestive disturbances, and even diarrhea. The oxalate content in spinach can also reduce the absorption of important minerals in eel, such as calcium and magnesium, thus diminishing its nutritional benefits.
6. Spinach and Soy
Soy contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium sulfate, and chloride, while spinach is rich in oxalic acid. When combined, they can form insoluble magnesium oxalate and calcium oxalate, increasing the risk of kidney stone or plaque formation. The vitamin C in spinach can also inhibit the absorption of copper from soy, depriving the body of important micronutrients optimally.
7. Spinach and Milk
Oxalic acid in spinach can react with the calcium in milk to form calcium oxalate that is difficult to absorb by the body. This can reduce calcium absorption and cause digestive disturbances such as bloating or constipation. Besides milk, it is advisable to also avoid consuming spinach together with other high calcium foods such as tofu, cheese, or eggs due to similar effects.
8. Spinach and Leek
Leek is often combined with spinach to create a delicious dish, but this food combination can cause digestive disturbances if consumed too often. The cooling nature of spinach contradicts the warm and spicy nature of leek, which can trigger stomach pain, diarrhea, and discomfort in the digestive system.
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