Contents:
- Medical Video: Interesting Health Benefits of Asparagus
- The benefits of asparagus that you miss
- 1. Solid nutrition
- 2. Healthy digestion
- 3. Helps to lose weight
- 4. Helps reduce blood pressure
- 5. Supporting pregnancy health
- 6. Good source of antioxidants
Medical Video: Interesting Health Benefits of Asparagus
Ever heard of a vegetable called asparagus before? Yes, this one vegetable may not be too common, except when it is cooked into asparagus soup. In fact, it is usually easier to find in supermarkets that offer a variety of vegetables that are quite foreign. The nutrients contained in asparagus are also no less good than other vegetables. Come on, get acquainted with the various benefits of asparagus which is a pity to miss.
The benefits of asparagus that you miss
1. Solid nutrition
Asparagus is packed with special nutrients, but the calories are very low. Various nutrients contained in asparagus are protein, fat, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, folate, potassium, and phosphorus. Not only that, asparagus also has small amounts of micronutrients such as iron, zinc and riboflavin.
Asparagus is predicted as a vegetable high in vitamin K, which plays an active role in blood clotting while maintaining bone health. In fact, because of the high content of folate, asparagus is often recommended for consumption by pregnant women, in order to help the formation of cells and DNA of prospective babies.
2. Healthy digestion
The human digestive system requires adequate fiber intake so that its work is always optimal. Well, you can easily get fiber intake just by eating half a cup of asparagus weighing 1.8 grams. The high content of insoluble fiber in asparagus is useful to facilitate bowel movements so that it can be consumed to treat constipation.
While the content of soluble fiber can be a food for good bacteria in the intestine, namely Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus. That is why, adding asparagus to your daily diet is the best way to help meet your fiber needs and maintain your digestive system's health.
3. Helps to lose weight
Are you determining what foods are good for losing your weight? One of the best choices that can be tried is by eating asparagus. Because, asparagus contains low amounts of calories, which is only about 20 calories in half a cup.
In addition, the fiber content in asparagus is not only beneficial for maintaining the digestive system, but also has an effect on weight loss.
This is supported by a statement from Keri Gans, a nutrition consultant and author of the book The Small Change Diet, that fiber can help the body to feel full, thus preventing you from eating in large quantities.
4. Helps reduce blood pressure
High blood pressure has been linked to as a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. A study from the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism shows that multiplying eating foods source of potassium while reducing salt intake is an effective way to reduce high blood pressure.
This is where the benefits of other asparagus play a role, because asparagus is a good source of potassium to help reduce high blood pressure, by optimizing blood vessel work and removing excess salt through urine.
This statement is also reinforced by research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which conducted research on two groups of mice. The first group of rats were fed asparagus, while the other rats did not.
The results found that after 10 weeks later, mice that received asparagus intake had a blood pressure 17 percent lower than mice that did not get asparagus intake. The researchers estimate this to occur because of the content of active compounds in asparagus which can enlarge blood vessels so that high blood pressure gradually decreases.
However, further research is still needed in humans to prove whether this active compound will also have the same effect.
5. Supporting pregnancy health
Another important benefit of asparagus is to maintain the health of the mother and baby during pregnancy. As mentioned earlier, asparagus is rich in vitamin B9 or folic acid which is beneficial for pregnant women and their babies, especially in the early trimester of pregnancy.
Adequate folate intake at this time will help optimize the formation of red blood cells and DNA. In addition, folate also plays an important role in protecting your baby from neural tube defects that can easily lead to various complications later on.
6. Good source of antioxidants
In fact, asparagus has high amounts of antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, glutathione, and various flavonoids and polyphenols. Antioxidants are compounds that can help protect body cells from the harmful effects caused by free radicals and oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress itself has been linked to aging, chronic cell inflammation, and cancer. If you want to get optimal antioxidant production, it is recommended to eat asparagus along with other vegetables and fruits to optimize the amount of antioxidants in the body.
