To be aware of and concerned about one's health, fitness, and life is the latest "fad" in America. A strong part of this "new" awareness is the understanding that in order for the body to thrive and perform, it must be well nourished, rather than just well fed.

But what exactly does nutrition mean? The dictionary defines it as the process by which the food material taken into an organism is converted into living tissue. The USDA simplifies this by saying that food is essential for the energy we need to move, breathe, think, and grow. The nutrients in food maintain the building, the upkeep, and the repair of the body tissue as well as the basic functions of the body.

The nutrients which the USDA finds valuable for good health are: food energy, expressed in calories; protein, fat and fiber; calcium, phosphorus, iron, sodium, potassium, thiamin (Vitamin B-1), riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), niacin, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and beta-carotene (Vitamin A).

America is in love with salads. The fast food restaurants have salad bars now which makes it easy to enjoy a quick lunch of fresh, tasty vegetables. Whether you're creating that salad at a restaurant or in your own kitchen, it is good to know what is nutritional.

The main ingredient of a salad is obviously the leafy stuff. Most of us are proficient at growing the salad additives such as tomatoes, broccoli and carrots but I will bet my hat that few of us have grown an acceptable lettuce crop. By "acceptable" I mean crunchy and sweet - - anyone can grow leaf lettuce and it tastes as its name implies, like leaves. Most of us want crunch and sweet when we eat lettuce. The best way to get both is not to grow lettuce but to grow spinach.

Nutritionally speaking, spinach is a super-champ of the vegetable garden. Spinach has twice as much protein, calcium, iron, potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and B-2, niacin and Vitamin C as any other of the leafy greens.

Spinach is easy to grow especially in this area of Texas. Commercial growers in this area produce 90 percent of all the spinach consumed in the United States and almost 50 percent of the entire world's supply.

Spinach is an unusual vegetable. It shares the honor with asparagus of being a dioecious plant. That is, unisexual with pollen-producing male flowers on one plant and seed-bearing female flowers on a separate plant. Spinach is classified as a "very hardy cool season crop." Although it can be grown almost anywhere in the Unites States, it does best at a mean temperature of 50 to 60 degrees F. If planted in late spring, when hot weather is approaching, the plant will quickly form a flower stalk, going to seed after the development of only a few leaves.

Spinach varieties are available in flat-leaved, semi-crinkle-leaved (semi-savoy) and crinkle-leaved (savoy) types. The flat-leaved types are best suited for canning and the crinkle-leaved types are best for fresh use. Because of the fungus diseases which damage spinach growth and leaf appearance, only certain varieties should be used. Spinach is a cool-season crop which should be planted from seed in September. Spinach seed germinates very poorly in warm soils. Therefore, to avoid a poor stand, the first planting should occur when soil temperatures are 75 degrees F. or below which is now the case. Soil temperatures in this range will occur about 8 weeks prior to the first anticipated fall frost.

Additional plantings can be made up until about 6 to 8 weeks before temperatures are expected to drop near 20 degrees F. at which temperature spinach is often damaged or even killed. Gardeners in this area can continue planting right through winter and into early spring. Spinach should always be seeded directly in your garden. Ideally, there should be sufficient moisture in the soil at planting time to result in germination and emergence of the seedling without having to apply additional water. If soil is too dry when it's time to plant, consider watering several days or so before planting to supply the needed moisture. Applying water after planting to supply the moisture needed for germination often causes seedling diseases and is best avoided.

The seed can be scattered or broadcast over the top of the bed, or it can be planted in rows. Generally, planting in rows is preferable since weeds which emerge near the spinach seedlings can be more easily removed. If your planting bed is about 20 inches wide, 4 rows of spinach can be seeded across the top, leaving plenty of room for the plants to develop.

Regardless of your planting system, the seed should be covered to a depth of one-half inch. Always use more seed than needed to ensure a good stand. Depending upon conditions, the seedlings should be up in about 7 to 10 days. About 2 weeks after emergence, thin the seedlings to a spacing of 4 to 6 inches apart.

About 10 days to 2 weeks after thinning, you should stimulate the growth of your spinach with a light application of nitrogen fertilizer. Use about one-half pound of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) for each 30 feet of row planted in spinach. Apply the fertilizer to the side of the plants and then water it in lightly.

As your crop of spinach grows, its important that you provide sufficient soil moisture. Remember that spinach has a rather shallow and limited root system, with most of the feeder roots in the top 8 to 10 inches of soil. Therefore, frequent watering is necessary.

Approximately 6 to 10 weeks after planting, depending upon the variety and the weather, it's harvest time. You'll note that as the weather cools down your spinach will take a little longer to fully mature and will grow more upright. Generally, spinach that matures when temperatures average between 50 degrees and 60 degrees F. will be fuller-bodied and of higher quality.

Harvesting is usually done either by removing the older, outer leaves, or by pulling up the whole plant. A third method that works quite well is to harvest foliage with a sharp knife, leaving the crown or growing point of the plant and roots in place so that a second crop can be produced by the same plant. A light application of fertilizer (ammonium sulfate) and watering should follow this type of harvest to encourage new leaf growth.

Europeans and Americans eat the leaves which are dark green with rounded leaf edges. However, entire plants with red roots and dandelion-like leaves are preferred in Japan. The simplest and most nutritious way to eat spinach is raw in salad substituted for, or with, lettuce. When cooking spinach, care should be taken not to overcook it, boiling away flavor and nutrients. To cook it successfully, wash and put it in a covered pan with only the water clinging to the leaves. Steam over a medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes. Butter, bacon bits, or sauteed onions can be added for complementary flavoring. More elaborate spinach dishes include Eggs Florentine (poached eggs placed in spinach and hollandaise sauce), spinach-stuffed tomatoes, spinach quiche and spinach fondue. Other interesting dishes are spinach potato soup, spinach cheese balls deep fat fried, spinach-shrimp omelet ring, spinach and chicken or ham -- Chinese style, spinach and shredded beet ring, and spinach-tuna salad.

So, if you're not already growing some, plant and start eating nutritious spinach - - insure a sweet crunch.