Asparagus

Mmmmm.....Asparagus!! I love this stuff!! And there are lots of reasons why, besides the fact that it tastes really good!

Asparagus is:

• great for your heart health because it is pumped full of folate. Folate is essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. Also, because asparagus has high amounts of folate, it makes it an excellent birth defect fighter. Without folate, the fetus' nervous system cells do not divide properly. Just one serving of asparagus supplies almost 66% of the daily recommended intake of folate!
• also a good source of potassium while being quite low in sodium. This, combined with an active amino acid, makes asparagus a great natural diuretic. Body builder competitors incorporate asparagus in their daily diets to help them keep off water weight. Apparently, asparagus has been used to treat problems involving swelling, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and may also be useful for PMS-related water retention (I just learned something new with that and I plan to put that to the test!!).
• contains a special kind of carbohydrate called inulin that we don't digest, but the health-promoting friendly bacteria in our large intestine do. When our diet contains good amounts of this carbohyrdrate, the growth and activity of the friendly bacteria increase, making it much more difficult for unfriendly bacteria to thrive.

So eat up!! Don't be afraid of the 'aspargus-pee' - it's benefits far outweigh that small detail! By the way, I looked up the reason for that, and it turns out it is due to sulfur-containing amino acids which break down after ingestion and lovingly creates that strange odor in urine. I also didn't know that only about 50% of the population may notice the smell!

One more note: Asparagus contains naturally-occuring substances called Purines. 'Since purines can be broken down to form uric acid, excess accumulation of purines in the body can lead to excess accumulation of uric acid.' Individuals with kidney probemes - like kidney stones- or gout (two examples of uric acid-related problems) may want to limit their intake of purine-containing foods. Asparagus is a wonderful health beneficial food, but in all things moderation!

Chart and some information adapted from www.whfoods.com