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Healthy Food: Asparagus
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Benefits of Asparagus:
Asparagus season begins around mid-April and lasts approximately two months. Asparagus is one of the most nutrient rich foods. It provides 60% of the RDA for folacin. Folacin is utlized in the body for blood cell formation, growth, and prevention of liver diseases. Asparagus contains a measly 20 calories in 5.3 ounces, which is slightly less than 4 calories per spear. It contains no fat, no cholesterol, it’s low in sodium, high in potassium, fiber rich, contains thiamin, vitamin B6, and is one of the most abundance sources of rutin, a nutrient that that helps strengthen capillary walls.
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What to look for when purchasing asparagus:
This is the time of year when you’ll start to see more asparagus in the markets.
Look at the tip and ensure it is so tight that you could actually use it as a pen. That’s when you know you have the freshest piece. Why are some stems crooked and bent and others straight? Are the straight stems fresher? The answer to this question is bent and straight stems are equally fresh. Bent asparagus is caused by winds that bent it during its growing stages but it doesn’t affect the nutrient value of this veggie. One thing to note though is the green and white varieties are slightly healthier with more fiber and less sugar than the purple versions.
Quirky facts about asparagus:
Everyone talks about it so I’ll bring it out in the open because I know I’ll receive tons of emails if I don’t. The effect of eating asparagus on one’s urine has long been known since ancient times. Asparagus is filled with sulfur-containing amino acids that break down during digestion that give urine a unique smell. The sulfur is from the same compounds that give skunks their unique odor. This scent usually occurs within 15-30 minutes of asparagus digestion and although the scent occurs in 100% of individuals only 40% of people carry the gene to smell it. Interesting, ey? But not to worry, it is not bad for one’s health. In fact, due to these diuretic properties it has been used for centuries as a medicine to cure urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stones, and even used as an aphrodisiac!
This is the perfect veggie to serve as a side dish with any chicken recipe. Steam the asparagus and sprinkle a 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1 TBS Parmesan cheese over the top.
Enjoy!
Hot Tip: Asparagus can be costly and Fresh n Easy currently has each bundle on sale for .99!
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