Health Benefits of Asparagus

What is asparagus?

Asparagus officinalis or just asparagus, if you didn't knew, is a perennial member of the lily family (Liliaceae) same as the onion and garlic and many ornamental plants as the orchid and lilies.
It has phylloclades (photosynthetic flattened stems) instead of true leaves, which gives the plant the looking of a fern, and is a dioecious specie (there are "she" plants and "he" plants).
What we eat are the young shoots of the plant that apear in the early spring and are cut when they are 6 to 8 inches tall, thus its name "asparagus" means stalk or shoot in Greek

Its price, usually a little higher than any other vegetable, is due to the fact that it takes 3 years for the crop to begin commercial production and it can only be harvested by hand.

There are 3 types of asparagus: white, green and purple. The white asparagus is obtained by denying the plants light, usually mounding up soil over the plant row before it begins to sprout (very labor intensive) or covering the row with black plastic, which has to be removed to perform the daily harvest and then placed into position again.

The green asparagus is easier to grow as it doesn't require extra labor during the harvest season. The purple asparagus, originated in Italy, is a variety that contains phytonutrients called anthocyanins and is managed the same way as the green asparagus.

From the past

This amazing vegetable originated in the Mediterranean was well known in ancient Egypt and also used by the Chinese herbalists as a cure-all remedy. The first known records of directions for its cultivation date back to the second century BC.
Though till recently asparagus was seen as a mere food, it has a great healing power and was used in past centuries to cure infertility, toothaches, arthritis, dropsy and heart disorders.

Nowadays is rediscovered as a healing food because of its many properties, being the most popular use as a protector for many types of cancer.
But before diving in its healing properties, let's take a look to its nutritional profile:

Content and percent of Daily Values based on a 2000 calorie diet and a serving size of 5.3 ounces:
Protein 6%
Calories 20
Protein 3 grams
Carbohydrate 3 grams
Fat 0 grams
Cholesterol 0 milligrams
Dietary Fiber 3 grams
Sodium 5 milligrams
Potassium 400 milligrams
Calcium 2%
Magnesium 4%
Copper 4%
Vitamin A 8%
Vitamin C 20%
Thiamin 15%
Riboflavin 6%
Niacin 6%
Vitamin E *
Vitamin B6 10%
Folacin 60%

As you can see, asparagus has an excellent nutritional profile!

Now, there are some health conditions that would make the ingestion of asparagus not recommendable because of its high content of purines. Among these conditions are gout and kidney stones, both related with accumulation of uric acid in excess. This is due to the fact that when purines are broken down in the body they form uric acid. If you suffer of these conditions you may ask your doctor if need to avoid purine-containing vegetables like the asparagus.

Asparagus health benefits:

For your heart!
Its high content of folacin (60% of the daily requirement) makes the asparagus essential for the cardiovascular system health.
When folate levels are low, the Homocysteine which is one of the intermediary products of the methylation reaction (important reaction performed in your body every time) can't be converted into cysteine and its blood level rise.
High levels of Homocysteine promotes atherosclerosis by damaging the blood vessel walls, increases the risk of several heart diseases and interfere with the synthesis of collagen in connective tissue.

A good source of Folate
With 260 mcg of folate per cup, asparagus is a good source of folate, the B-vitamin essential necessary in cellular division and DNA synthesis. When a woman is pregnant it is very important to avoid folate deficiency. This deficiency is linked to spina bifida and other several birth defects in the fetus, and unluckily is a very common vitamin deficiency.

Diuretic effect
If you are in need of a natural diuretic to maintain the balance in your body, then asparagus is the perfect food for you.
It has a very good potassium/sodium ratio (14.5/1) along with the active amino acid asparagine which makes it a natural diuretic that can help you with water retention problems.
Now, there is a well known fact about asparagus and urine. Have you ever be warned that you'll have asparagus urine odor or urine smell asparagus if you eat this vegetable?
Chances are that you will, as the majority of the people. But be assured that is is innocuous or harmless, and is due to different chemicals named thiols that are breakdown products of this vegetable.

Healthy intestinal tract
Asparagus promotes the growth rates and activity of the friendly bacteria that commonly populates our large intestine by providing them the carbohydrate inulin. This not only improves digestion, but also keeps at bay unfriendly bacteria.

Everyday is better!

If you want to enjoy all the health benefits of asparagus you must include it in your diet in a regular base. In fact, the most of it is achieved when taken daily.

Nowadays, it is possible to buy fresh asparagus all year round thanks to importation from countries from the south hemisphere, and anyway you can also use canned or frozen asparagus as well. The only problem is that you can get bored and you may end up hating this nature's wander after a period of time!

Anyway, the health benefits of Asparagus are based on its content of vitamins and enzymes. Only raw foods and enzyme supplements contain enzymes because Enzymes are destroyed by the cooking process. If you want to enjoy top quality supplemental food enzymes for inner radiance, enhanced digestion, nutrient absorption, optimal weight, accelerated detoxification and cleansing you should try Beauty Enzymes (90 Veg-Caps 700 mg)