It’s one of the UK’s most versatile vegetables; it has a short season in May and June. It’s full-flavoured, deliciously sweet and tender and is crammed with essential vitamins and minerals.
British asparagus not only tastes sublime, it is also one of nature’s health foods!
For pregnant women, those on low fat diets, those looking after their hearts or wanting to boost their libidos, asparagus is truly the vegetable of choice.
Nutritional properties of asparagus
|
Per 100g raw |
Per 80g raw (equivalent to one five-a-day portion) | |
|
Fat Saturated fat |
0.6 g trace |
0.5 g trace |
|
Cholesterol |
0 |
0 |
|
Dietary fibre |
1.7 g |
1.36 g |
|
Calories |
25 kcal |
20 kcal |
|
Carbohydrate |
2 g |
1.6 g |
|
Protein |
2.9 g |
2.32 g |
|
Pro Vitamin A (carotene) |
315 mg |
252 mg |
|
Vitamin C |
12 mg |
9.6 mg |
|
Vitamin E |
1.16 mg |
0.9 mg |
|
Folic Acid (folate) |
175 mg |
140 mg |
|
Iron |
0.7 mg |
0.56 mg |
|
Calcium |
27mg |
21 mg |
|
Potassium |
260 mg |
208 mg |
|
Sodium |
1 mg |
0.8 mg |
Source:Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, McCance & Widdows, Sixth summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry
