Popeye Helps Fight Iron Deficiencies.

Popeye: defender of good, sworn enemy of Bluto, and US Government propagandist. Most people are shocked to hear why Popeye ate so much spinach. What seemed like a silly and fun addition to a children’s cartoon was actually part of a government campaign to get Americans to eat better and stay strong through the Great Depression.

Popeye was created in the 1930s as a symbol of American resilience and strength during the Great Depression.  Popeye had strength indeed, much of it came from his obsession with spinach. In the ’30s, many Americans were not getting a vitamin-rich diet so the US Government recruited Popeye as their spokesman to push nutrient packed spinach as a new American staple. The campaign was a smash hit.

In only a short amount of time, Popeye helped boost spinach sales in America by 33% which helped Americans stay strong and survive the difficult economic depression. Popeye is so beloved by spinach farmers that they erected a statue in his honor near the spinach farming capital of the world Crystal City, Texas. 

Spinach is loaded with folic acid, vitamins A and K, and iron. Spinach is a great healthy source of iron for vegans especially. In fact, a serving of spinach has a higher iron content than the same size serving of beef. Researchers at Rutgers University also found that Spinach helps build muscle protein so it can even help you build Popeye size arms. 

Popeye was a tool of the US Government’s propaganda campaign but I have a hard time holding it against him only because his influence was used for good. I can’t help but wonder how different things would be if he was recruited to promote the corn cob pipe industry instead.