Description: Bacon and Spinach, a typical and popular combination. A splash of lemon makes this pasta refreshing.
Serves: 2
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients 

• Pasta – 160g
• Bacon – chopped, 80g or 4 rashers
• Garlic – chopped in fine pieces, 2 cloves
• Spinach – 120g
• Salt – ½ dash
• Ground black pepper – 2 dashes
• Olive oil – ½ tablespoon
• Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon  or squeeze from 1 wedge of lemon

Method

• 1. Cook the pasta until al dente in plenty of boiling water with salt.
• 2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan and fry the garlic and bacon. 
• 3. Stir in the spinach to the pan and fry for a few minutes.
• 4. Add hot drained pasta and olive oil to the pan and mix well.
• To serve: sprinkle additional black pepper and squeeze lemon.

Nutritional values per serving  

Kcal	Protein	Fat	Carbs	Fibre	Sugars	Salt	Saturated Fat	Folate	Vitamin A (RAE)	Vitamin E
417.0	18.0g	11.3g	62.6g	4.4g	1.8g	0.8g	2.8 g	116.8μg	281.5μg	1.2mg
20.8%	36.1%	16.1%	24.1%	14.6%	2.0%	13.0%	13.8%	58.4%	46.9%	40.9%

Nutritional Tips

Folate is also known as vitamin B9. It is required when cells are multiplying, especially when pregnancy requirements are high. Folate exists in the plasma as “5-methyl THF (tetrahydrofolate)” mostly, which is a coenzyme form. 

5-methyl THF works with vitamin B12 in methionine synthase in our body. Therefore, if vitamin B12 is deficient, folate stays as a 5-methyl compound. Then 5,10-methylene THF is not available to form thymidylate (This is required for DNA synthesis). So this makes it like a folate deficiency when B12 is deficient.

When in folate deficiency you may experience, megaloblastic anaemia (feel tired because the red blood cells are big and are not able to carry oxygen properly throughout the body). There are different types of anaemia such as iron-deficiency anaemia, megaloblastic anaemia, pernicious anaemia, aplastic anaemia etc. Anaemia can be caused by different reasons. Therefore, it is important to seek professional advice in doubt.