Nutrition Spotlight: Asparagus

Asparagus is in season and almost at its prime, and because of this and its highly nutritious content, it's the perfect food to spotlight this week!

Behind onions, asparagus is the next best source of quercetin among commonly eaten foods (some herbs and types of peppers rank higher). Quercetin is one of the most studied flavonoids, and its anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic properties makes it a phytonutrient that you want in your foods as much as possible, especially now with both COVID-19 and allergies going on. There are numerous other nutrients that asparagus provides, including rutin and glutathione; the latter is an extremely potent antioxidant molecule that is not usually found pre-formed in foods (it takes three amino acids to form this molecule), but it is found in asparagus! Asparagus is also an excellent source of Vitamin K, folate, B vitamins, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, and selenium, so there’s plenty of reasons to eat more asparagus this season!