Health Benefits of Food –Asparagus
November 24th 2006 00:17
Asparagus is filled with important cancer fighting vitamins and minerals.
Asparagus contains no fat, cholesterol or sodium and does contain fiber which lowers our cholesterol levels and maximizes healthy heart function. Because of the benefits to your heart this can also protect against Cardio Vascular Disease.
So how do we know which asparagus is perfectly ripe and at its full potential? The following tips can help you pick out your asparagus.
•The tips of asparagus should be tight, almost purplish and pointed.
•Asparagus should NOT have a strong odor at all. If it does have an odor then it is too old and the nutrients may not be at their max
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Comment by Deorre
Stress Alive
Man Lessons
Comment by Manda
Medicinal Nature
I would have to just make an educated guess for this question-- But, my answer is that it seems that it may have something to do with the fact that it detoxifies your body... and maybe you also don't drink enough water when consuming it so it makes a naturally strong odor even stronger.
Again, this is only my guess.
~Manda
Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
MS Paint Art
Asparagus makes your urine green and smelly.
Asparagusic acid is the culprit, or alpha-aminodimethyl-gamma-butyrothetin for those of chemical mind. It is found in asparagus, and a few other food plants, though some non-food plants like tropical mangrove also contain it. The other interesting thing about asparagusic acid, other than being the chemical that probably makes urine smell after eating asparagus, is that it is kills parasitic nematodes, and protects the asparagus plant against them.
But the asparagus and smelly urine problem is more complicated. Not all of us can actually smell the smell in urine if it is there. The frequency of this inability to smell the odour is high, and tests have shown that 90% of an Israeli population and 75% of a Chinese population have anosmia (inability to smell). There is another proportion of the population with a degree of hyposmia, in which the smell is not distinct and can be confused with other smells.
Clearly this complicates finding out how many people have smelly urine after eating asparagus. Self-report is no use, and studies would need objective (and ideally blind) independent smelling of the urine. With this caveat, it seems that about 40% of the UK population produce smelly urine after eating asparagus based on tests on almost 1,000 people. Other studies suggest that French, Israeli and Chinese populations all produce odorous urine. It may all be down to the smelling.
The interesting thing about asparagus is that despite appearing in historical works for about 2,500 years, it was only in the 1700s that it was associated with malodorous urine. This coincided with the use of sulphur-rich fertilizers to improve the flavour of asparagus and onions and garlic.
katyzzz
Comment by Deorre
Stress Alive
Man Lessons
Comment by Manda
Medicinal Nature
Well written and more informative than ever!! Thanks for that. Looks like you had that little problem with posting as i have had myself a few times (LOL). Your wisdom is always welcome here!
Deorre-
No kidding! LOL
Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
..smelly or not, thisis one of the best foods for pre-menopausal and menopausal women to eat, along with leeeks, fennel and green beans... of course, the smell of urine could depend on water intake too, not enough is drunk these days and hardly anyone you meet is drinking their 2 litres per day... not saying it doesn't taint the smell of urine Katyzzz because I also really appreciated the information...
thanks all
~Lilla...
Comment by Manda
Medicinal Nature
yes, it has many benefits... thanks for the added info on female issues-
~Manda
Comment by Anonymous
-Katie