Cucumber rolls with chard and spinach cream

The cucumber rolls with chard and spinach cream have a very high content of vitamin K, folic acid and vitamin A.

Portion information: The amount of ingredients designed for 2 people is sufficient for 2 main courses or correspondingly more starter portions.

Nutrient profile: This dish has an extremely high vitamin K content thanks to the spinach and chard. According to GDA guidelines, one portion of this recipe covers more than the average daily requirement of vitamin K, folic acid, vitamin E and vitamin A as well as manganese. The ratio between linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is 29:1, which is significantly higher than the recommended maximum ratio of 5:1, due to the sunflower seeds.

Health: For health reasons, we have created an alternative recipe with variations in the ingredients. Please read the link behind this motivation: Vegans often eat unhealthily. Avoidable nutritional errors .

Spinach: Spinach is rich in vitamins (especially vitamin K, folic acid, vitamin A and vitamin C), protein and minerals. Although spinach has a high iron content among vegetables, the iron content is not exceptionally high. Despite the high oxalic acid content, consuming raw spinach in reasonable amounts is not harmful to health.

Swiss chard: Both the stems and the leaves of Swiss chard are edible. It tastes like spinach, but is more intense and bitter. Swiss chard contains a lot of vitamin K, but also vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin E, as well as sodium, magnesium, potassium and iron. Like spinach, Swiss chard has a high oxalic acid content.

Oxalic acid and kidney stones: Kidney stones are stone-like deposits in the calyx system of the kidney and in the renal pelvis. These can form due to the crystallization of certain substances such as calcium oxalate and uric acid. Reasons for this include the presence of these substances in increased concentrations, pH changes in the urine, drainage obstructions or urinary tract infections. For this reason, people at risk of developing kidney stones should drink enough fluids and not eat too large quantities of foods containing oxalic acid (parsley, purslane, cassava, amaranth, spinach or chard). This also applies to people with hyperabsorption (= very high absorption) of oxalate or hyperoxaluria (high increase and increased excretion of oxalic acid in the urine). Oxalic acid also makes it difficult to absorb iron, which is why iron therapy should not be used to take an iron tablet with the above-mentioned food.

Recommended consumption of spinach: Spinach should not be stored at room temperature for long periods (around a week). Spinach contains a lot of nitrate, which bacteria convert into harmful nitrite. This can cause problems, especially in children, as it impairs the transport of oxygen in the body and the effects depend on both the amount consumed and body weight.
There are also 'fresh', packaged spinach leaves in plastic bags. However, the industry has to treat them heavily to ensure they last longer, as germs multiply quickly under the plastic. Vitamins also last less time than in really fresh spinach.

Salt content: Since salt requirements vary from person to person, no amount of salt is specified here. However, we recommend keeping the amount of salt as low as possible. Swiss chard naturally contributes to a higher salt content, so we left it at a pinch.

Herbs such as dill, cress and basil, as well as sesame seeds, are suitable for garnishing.