Yes, asparagus is good for you. But here's why you should avoid overconsumption.
Prized for its versatility, taste and nutritional advantages amid an increasing number of plant-based diets, asparagus is having a moment. With the worldwide asparagus market now valued at a whopping $28.6 billion, it's a vegetable many people can't get enough of.
"There's a lot to love about asparagus," says Jen Messer, a nutrition consultant and registered dietitian at Jen Messer Nutrition. "It has a unique flavor and texture, is packed with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants and is great to add to salads, soups or simply roasted as a side dish."
Here are some of the top nutritional benefits asparagus has to offer — plus why cooking it helps reduce bloating and gas over eating the vegetable raw.
Is asparagus good for you?
Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food that provides a host of important vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and niacin — plus nearly two grams of both protein and dietary fiber in only about seven stalks, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nutrients like these "are helpful in supporting gut health, immune health, blood sugar stabilization and improved cholesterol levels," says LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant based in Los Angeles.
Asparagus also contains plenty of vitamin C — an antioxidant that helps protect cells against oxidative stress, "potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases," says Messer.
The vegetable is also a good source of folate, which can further help "with things like vision, digestion and disease prevention," explains Kristen Smith, a registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She adds that asparagus also serves as a prebiotic, which means it provides beneficial gut bacteria.
Asparagus can aid in healthy weight management as well, Messer says, because it has a low number of calories —only about 28 in seven stalks — and its high-fiber content improves feelings of fullness. She also praises its high vitamin K content, "which has an important role in blood clotting and bone health."
A surprising benefit of the vegetable is that it also contains unique properties "that can ramp up the activity of key enzymes that break down alcohol, which might explain why asparagus has been linked to hangover relief," says Messer.
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Why does asparagus make your pee stink?
But it's not all good news. Due to its high fiber content, some people "might experience bloating with a high consumption of asparagus," says Messer. "And because we don’t digest fiber, our gut microbes ferment it for us and in doing so can create gas," she adds.
Beyond such potential abdominal discomfort, the vegetable is also notorious for affecting the smell of urine. This unpleasant odor, Smith explains, is the result of something called asparagusic acid, which is unique to the vegetable. "This acid breaks down into sulfur compounds during digestion and these sulfur byproducts evaporate quickly when you urinate, causing a notable smell," she says.
Interestingly, because of genetic variations in different people, "not everyone can smell the asparagus-induced urine odor," says Weintraub.
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Can you eat asparagus raw?
The health benefits of eating asparagus are similar whether you eat raw or cooked asparagus, but the bloating and gas associated with the vegetable can be reduced if you cook your asparagus before eating it, Smith says, because cooking it can soften the vegetable's cell walls, making it easier to digest.
To cook asparagus, "it can be roasted, grilled, steamed, baked or seared," says Weintraub; "but boiling asparagus can make it watery or mushy, which is not ideal." Some people prefer the uncooked version of the vegetable. "Raw asparagus adds a crisp and refreshing touch to salads or smoothies and can be enjoyed as a standalone snack," says Smith.
No matter how you like to eat it, she adds, "asparagus is a nutrient-dense, low-calorie vegetable that's packed with fiber, vitamins and antioxidants — making it a wonderful addition to a balanced diet."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is asparagus good for you?
