The start of spring marks the beginning of asparagus season. Apart from a daily vitamin C dose, here is why you should be packing your plate with the vegetable.
Asparagus is not only delicious but is also bursting with nutrients. One serve of asparagus, which is approximately three to four spears, has a quarter of an adult’s daily vitamin C needs, as well as providing B vitamins, potassium, and fibre.
Australian asparagus has enjoyed the sunny, drier conditions, ideal for growing and harvesting across all regions. The President of the Australian Asparagus Council, Alex Motta, says that this year’s crop is on track to be one of the best, with the good year of preparation meaning the early season spears are delicious, crisp and firm.
“When choosing asparagus, shoppers should be looking for firm, bright and smooth spears that are uniform in size with closed compact tips. This will guarantee you’re choosing spears that are crisp, moist and juicy,” says Motta.
- Waistline friendly: Asparagus is low in kilojoules and contains no fat or cholesterol.
- Pregnancy partner: Asparagus is a great source of folate, with one serving providing more than 20 per cent of our daily needs. Folate is particularly important for expectant mothers as it supports normal cell division and tissue formation.
- Immune booster: A serve of asparagus provides 25 per cent of daily vitamin C needs for a healthy immune system.
- Age gracefully: Asparagus has a number of bio-active compounds, including antioxidants like rutin and beta-carotene. Research from accredited practicing dietitian Glenn Cardwell suggests that these bioactive compounds keep us healthy, well into old age.
- Gut health: asparagus is one of the best dietary sources of inulin, a very important prebiotic that encourages the growth of healthy bacteria, which, in turn, maintain the gut barrier to infection
Cooking asparagus
The research on fresh produce is often on the raw version. However, asparagus is usually consumed after being cooked. The good news is that if you steam or microwave asparagus for 4-5 minutes it retains most of its antioxidant power. Even after frying and grilling the spears retained their antioxidants. That includes the rutin and glutathione mentioned earlier; both were resistant to heat if asparagus was cooked for less than 10 minutes. Boiling was the only method of cooking that caused some loss of antioxidants.
Need inspiration?
Maybe you’re not a big fan of asparagus or need some kitchen inspiration, try one of our super-yummy recipes:
