Asparagus Nutrition Benefits and Facts

Nutritional summary

Asparagus is classified as a non-starchy vegetable, a category that major institutional guidelines like the USDA's MyPlate recommend for half of a balanced plate to support metabolic health .
Because it is a non-starchy vegetable, asparagus is considered a low-glycaemic food (one that does not cause rapid spikes in blood sugar) and can generally be eaten in liberal amounts .
Asparagus contains dietary fibre, which is consistently linked to protection against coronary heart disease and other chronic conditions in large-scale meta-analyses .
Early research suggests that asparagus extracts may help manage symptoms of burning mouth syndrome (a condition causing chronic oral pain), though current evidence is considered low-certainty due to small study sizes .

Interesting fact

Asparagus can grow up to 10 inches in a single 24-hour period under ideal conditions, making it one of the fastest-growing vegetables in the world.

Standout nutrients

EPIC

SOURCE

Folate

GREAT

SOURCE

Vitamin K

GREAT

SOURCE

beta-Carotene

EPIC

SOURCE

Water

kcal per 100g

Protein2.31g

Fat0.32g

Carbs1.02g

Fiber1.85g

Sugar1.71g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat0.15g

Monounsat0.03g

Saturated0.08g

Seasonality

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

PeakIn seasonOther months

Diet

VeganVegetarianPescatarianGluten FreeDairy FreeKetoLow FodmapPaleo

Sustainability

Moderate

While low-emission when local, asparagus is often air-freighted from South America to Europe/US during the off-season, significantly increasing its carbon footprint.

Confidencehigh

Storage

Refrigerate

3–5 days

Store upright in a jar with an inch of water or wrapped in a damp paper towel.

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 5 validated sources

French Food Database

1 contributing source food

Phenol-Explorer

1 contributing source food

Swiss Food Database

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

1 contributing source food

USDA

USDA FoodData Central

1 contributing source food

Claim citations

Effects of Asparagus officinalis for burning mouth syndrome - PMC

[1]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multiple Metrics of Carbohydrate Quality Place Starchy Vegetables Alongside Non-starchy Vegetables, Legumes, and Whole Fruit - PMC

[4]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Green Leafy Vegetables (GLVs) as Nutritional and Preventive Agents Supporting Metabolism - PMC

[6]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

An Evidence-based Look at the Effects of Diet on Health - PMC

[10]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Role of Dietary Fiber in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

[11]www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

100.0

Version

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