Asparagus, raw

Fun Facts

1. Asparagus is a very low calorie vegetable. 100 g fresh spears carries just 20 calories.
2. Fresh asparagus spears are a good source of anti-oxidants such as lutein, zea-xanthin, carotenes, and crypto-xanthins. Together, these flavonoid compounds help remove harmful oxidant free radicals from the body protect it from possible cancer, neuro-degenerative diseases, and viral infections. Their total antioxidant strength, measured in terms of oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC value), is 2150 µmol TE/100 g.
3. Fresh asparagus are rich sources of folates. 100 g of spears provide about 54 µg or 14% of RDA of folic acid. Folates are one of the important co-factors for DNA synthesis inside the cell. Scientific studies have shown that adequate consumption of folates in the diet during pre-conception period and during early pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects in the newborn baby.
4. Its shoots are also rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and pantothenic acid. These group of vitamins are essential for optimum cellular enzymatic and metabolic functions.