Asparagus…the Balanced Powerfood
It is Asparagus season and that means it is Spring!
“Keep bees and grow asparagus, watch the tides and listen to the wind instead of the politicians …if you want to live the good life.” – Miriam Waddington, Driving Home ‘Advice to the Young’.
Health Benefits:
1. Feeds friendly bacteria. One of the few vegetables containing a carbohydrate called inulin; . Inulin promotes the growth and activity of these friendly bacteria in the intestines making it difficult for unfriendly bacteria to grow.
2. Anti-Carcinogen: Asparagus is the food highest in glutathione, an important anti-carcinogen according to the National Cancer Institute.
3. The root is used to treat urinary as well as kidney and bladder stones.
4. Help with a hangover. Researchers say amino acids and minerals in asparagus extract may ease hangovers and protect liver cells against the toxins in alcohol. “These results provide evidence of how the biological functions of asparagus can help alleviate alcohol hangover and protect liver cells.” said lead researcher B.Y. Kim, Institute of Medical Science and Jeju National University in South Korea.
5. Is used as a tonic in Ayurvedic medicine.
6. Excellent source of folacin which has been shown to help in the prevention of neural tube defects that cause paralysis and death in 2,500 babies each year.
7. Has many medicinal properties according to the ancient Romans.
8. Easy Weight Loss: Like many vegetables has very low sugar content, smart carbs, zero fat, a low glycemic index, and lots of fiber.
Interesting trivia and nutritional fact next page:
10 Responses to “Asparagus…the Balanced Powerfood”
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The Simple Approach To
Great Health
Onions, shallots, artichokes
The lily family is asparagus, chives, garlic, leel(aster), onion, and sparsparilla
that is leek
Gosh, it is looking like George is going to be the winner unless anyone can come up with more…there is one more that I can think of.
Must say I had not heard of sparsparilla, then I realized it was a spelling thing so the name is sarsaparilla.
I found out that Native Amazonian people have used sarsaparilla to improve their virility and to treat problems associated with menopause.
Caution though as this is a medicinal herb:
Sarsaparilla can cause nausea and kidney damage; large dosages taken over long periods of time must be avoided at all costs.
I don’t know too much about the veg but my answer is
onion , garlic, leek, & chives.
You are right John but I have to say that George did discover more then you did so it looks like he is the winner of the ‘Vegetable Smartie’ contest unless anyone comes up with the one that has not been found out yet……good thing I am not in the running.
[...] You can see his answers in the comments section of Diana’s article and recipe on asparagus [...]
Okay, I guess I better say the one lily family food that is missing….lily bulbs.
Lilium bulbs are starchy and edible as root vegetables, although bulbs of some species may be very bitter. Their texture and taste are similar to a potatoes.
Caution: Many varieties of lily are toxic to cats, causing acute renal failure even in small amounts.
When you decide to cook up some lily bulbs make sure they are the edible type and the best way to do that is to go to a Chinese vegetable store where they sell them.
my grandfather is fond of ayurvedic medicines coz he know that it works well”`’
[...] white beans 2 pieces of Wakame (seaweed) 4 bay leaves 1 large onion, chopped finely 1/2 lb. green asparagus, remove woody stems, cut into 2-inch pieces 4 Tbsp vegetable oil or unsalted butter 2 carrots, [...]