So THAT'S Why Spinach Makes Your Teeth Feel Weird

Theres one thing we dont love about spinach, and thats the strange, chalky feeling it leaves on your teeth after you eat a salad made with this leafy green.If youve ever wondered what that sensation is, know that its not just you. Spinach teeth is a real thing, and it is a result of the high quantities of oxalic acidfound in this leafy green.Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring chemical found in plants ' but spinach tends to have higher amounts of it. Oxalic acid is referred to as a antinutrient, because it can bond with minerals and block the bodys ability to absorb those nutrients. In the case of spinach, that nutrient is calcium.Jennifer Moltoni --administrative coordinator at the Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine ' told Chowhound that when you chew spinach, the calcium in your saliva combines with the oxalic acid, and then calcium oxalate crystals are created. It is those crystals that stick to your teeth and make it feel gritty."It's almost like tiny crystals are floating around in your mouth, so that's what gives it that unusual feeling and texture," Jim Correll, professor of plant and pathology from Arkansas University, explained to Live Science.And thats all that feeling is.There isnt anything you can do to minimize that feeling, so just accept it and eat all the spinach you want. (Unless of course you have atendency to form kidney stones. If thats the case, talk to your doctor because its best to avoid a diet rich in oxalic acids.)Now that you know embrace the green with these recipes below:type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58a5ec70e4b037d17d25d389,58c05d70e4b054a0ea675d4a,57bc3dc5e4b03d51368a989a -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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