Spinach is a vegetable with high nutritional value and endless health benefits. It energizes and improves our blood quality with its vitamin B3, magnesium, iron, manganese, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K content. However, the chalky and rough feeling on the teeth after spinach consumption may bother some of us. This feeling is a harmless side effect called‘spinach teeth‘.
Spinach and Oxalic Acid Content
Spinach contains high amounts of oxalic acid for protection against insects and animals. Oxalic acid is an antinutrient that forms bonds with minerals, inhibiting the body’s ability to absorb them. When spinach is consumed, the calcium in our saliva and the oxalic acid in spinach combine to form water-insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. These crystals stick to the teeth and form a chalky and rough texture in our mouth. These tiny crystals are what some people perceive as a bitter taste in spinach.
Oxalic acid is also found in other foods such as tea, chocolate, nuts, strawberries, wheat bran and beets.
Source: Live Science