The Spinach Inquisition

We all know that spinach won’t give us the muscles
Of Popeye, who’s simply cartoony.
In fact, it’s a poor source of iron; relying
On that would, at best, leave us puny.

For decades, the common assumption has been
That the rumor began with a typo:
Around 1890, a decimal point
Got misplaced. Did this start all the hype? No.

Nutritionists botched it before 1870,
Likely without a stray dot.
They may have made errors in methods, including
Some spinach dried up and some not.

I’ll note we can find as much iron in spinach
Per ounce as we’d find in a steak,
But those who eat spinach absorb a lot less.
Guess the error is easy to make.