When we were kids, we might have pouted at that plate of spinach, but as grown up picky eaters, this leafy green is a go-to! How’s that? Being picky about your food while #adulting means choosing the very highest quality, best nutrition available. Here are a few reasons why spinach hangs out at the top of the list.

The great blood sugar regulator!

Just one cup of spinach has 40 percent of your recommended daily serving of magnesium, which can help regulate blood sugars. Pairing spinach with low-sugar diets just might mean you can say goodbye to those daily spikes and crashes. BONUS: Eating 1.15 servings (a little more than a cup) of spinach every day can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 14 percent.

What’s more diet-friendly than a non-fat, no-cholesterol, low-calorie food?

It doesn’t get much more diet-friendly than spinach. On the one hand, spinach can be combined with other high-density foods to create a meal that’s low in calories and high in nutrients, like a spinach salad or stew. On the other hand, because spinach is so virtuous, you can combine it with richer ingredients with a little less guilt – think spinach quiches, dips, or as an addition to your favorite breakfast sandwich.

Get your phytonutrients!

Though not essential to survival in the same way vitamins and minerals are, these plant-based, naturally occurring chemicals play an important role in disease prevention. Since spinach contains several phytonutrients, it is thought to be an anti-inflammatory food that helps heart health.

Enjoy a daily iron boost

Just one cup of cooked spinach contains more than 6mg of iron. That may not seem like a lot, but that one cup covers about one third of your daily recommended servings, which is especially good news for vegetarians.

Beautiful hair and nails, naturally

Spinach is bursting with vitamins A and C, both of which act as natural beauty products. Vitamin A helps produce sebum, which lubricates our skin and hair - think shine! In addition to absorbing all that previously mentioned iron, vitamin C keeps hair growing strong and long, with the help of the protein collagen. Vitamin C and collagen also make a great team for strengthening your nails! So, in short, eat your spinach. Still not convinced? Try this Easy Green Smoothie Bowl recipe and hop on the health bandwagon!