Do you like aubergines? If so, you cannot miss this article: discover its most important nutritional benefits and outstanding properties.
The eggplant is one of those vegetables that are characterized by having a taste of the most intense and delicious that is sure to love more than one. In fact, for a couple of decades it has become an excellent garnish for all kinds of meat and fish and it can also be baked, fried or battered to enhance its flavor.
The origins of ‘solanum melongena‘ date back to around two thousand years ago, more specifically in the Southeast Asian region where it grew near countries such as Burma or India. The Arabs were the first to trade with it through North Africa in the middle of the middle Ages. Centuries later, they introduced it to Spain where it began to be cultivated along the entire Mediterranean coast.
However, the consumption of aubergine was not always widely accepted. Because it was unknown to cook correctly at the time, it turned out to be a fruit that caused all kinds of digestive problems.
Although at present, its intake has been standardized that it is possible to find it both in Mediterranean cuisine and in other more exotic ones such as Japanese.
Learn about the many health benefits of eggplant
In short, aubergine is a vegetable that can be used in any dish and that in fact must be taken into account due to the large number of benefits it brings to our health. Would you like to know some of them? Well then we will do an extensive review so that you know them in depth:
Eggplant is hypocaloric
Eggplant is one of those many vegetables that has hardly any calories and is also fat-free. Therefore, you can take this vegetable without being afraid that you are going to neglect your line. In fact, its consumption is usually recommended to all those who have high cholesterol (thanks to its high terpene content) or suffer from obesity.
In this way, it is best to opt for healthier and healthier cooking methods, especially avoiding fried foods. A good option, for example, is to opt for the delicious and very nutritious baked aubergines.
Very rich in antioxidants
This vegetable is also an inexhaustible source of flavonoids, a series of pigments that create a kind of protective film on cells and that will help us strengthen our entire immune system. This is a premise to take into account in winter, where low temperatures are the order of the day.
So if you need to strengthen your defenses, take aubergines in order to stay away from flu or colds.
It is a great source of phosphorus, iron, potassium and calcium
As with any vegetable, the eggplant is also very rich in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and calcium. All these are essential nutrients to strengthen our entire body and also to improve our entire nervous system that will have a most positive impact on our mood.
Inhibits stomach cancer cells
Another of the great benefits of eggplants is that they are capable of inhibiting cancer cells that can accumulate throughout our stomach and intestine, more specifically in the colon. Therefore, its consumption is recommended if we want to mitigate the symptoms of tumors.
How can we have aubergine? Here some ideas
Another advantage of aubergines is that they can be tasted in many different ways apart from the more conventional one (which is simple sliced as a side dish) and there are also other options such as those described below:
- Eggplant juice. Without a doubt, a powerful drink that we should try at least a couple of times a week if we suffer from fluid retention, overweight or liver problems. It is the most diuretic and on top of that it helps us fight insomnia.
- Eggplant oil. The oil made from this vegetable is an option to take into account to treat rheumatic problems where you just have to apply this cold aubergine liquid on the affected area.
Properties of aubergines, in summary
As we have mentioned, if you have liver problems, eggplant will undoubtedly be your best ally. But, if not, do not hesitate to include it in your shopping cart on a regular basis. But what are its most important benefits?
It has very few calories and is an excellent aid for both the liver and the gallbladder, as we will be able to see in detail throughout this article.
Not surprisingly, its caloric concentration is quite discreet, being only 20 calories per 100 grams. Of course, we must bear in mind that both because of its composition and its texture itself, it tends to absorb a lot of oil, so it is best that we choose to make it battered, baked or roasted, before it is fried.
Although it is not particularly rich in minerals or vitamins, it is suitable to facilitate digestion, as it has components that promote biliary and liver function; exactly the same ones that give it that curious bitter taste.
It helps to dissolve fats, to prevent arteriosclerosis and to reduce cholesterol, and it is rich in antioxidants thanks to its skin.
Its oil, equally beneficial to our health
Its oil can help to improve rheumatic problems, applied cold on the painful area. In turn, a little mashed eggplant pulp could soothe and hydrate a minor burn. Not to mention its juice, which is an excellent diuretic and serves, for example, as a remedy to combat insomnia.
