How Healthy Is Asparagus?

Proper asparagus-eating etiquette has long been a subject of debate: Should you cut the treelike spears with a fork and knife, or are they an acceptable finger food?

When it comes to asparagus’s nutritional value, though, there’s little dispute. Here are its most notable health attributes, plus fresh ways to prepare it from New York Times Cooking.

It’s rich in prebiotics.

Asparagus contains a type of prebiotic fiber called inulin, said Elizabeth Klingbeil, a dietitian and assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Your stomach can’t break down inulin, she said, so it passes into your intestines undigested. Once there, the inulin helps nourish the good bacteria that make up your gut microbiome.

When these good bacteria feed off the inulin in asparagus and other fiber-rich foods, they produce compounds that play a role in preventing inflammation in your intestines, Dr. Klingbeil said. Over time, excess inflammation can increase your risk of chronic gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

Nourishing gut bacteria with prebiotic fiber may have benefits beyond your digestive system, said Douglas Moellering, an associate professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Early research suggests a healthy gut microbiome could improve your brain function, stress levels and mood through a complex network called the gut-brain axis.

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