The Eggplant is a Super Hero Food!
Welcome Weight Loss Nation!
The Eggplant has been cultivated in Southern and Eastern Asia since before we started documenting food. The first known written record of the plant is found in an ancient Chinese agricultural document in the year 544.
"Eggplant" is the common name in North America and Australia, but the British call it "aubergine". It is known in South Asia, Southeast Asia and South Africa as brinjal. Other common names are melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash.
Eggplant is a fruit and is widely used in cooking. Eggplant is related to both the tomato, the potato and bell peppers. Known as “The Nightshade family." Nightshade family fruits & vegetables may have gotten their name, since they prefer to grow in moderate temperatures and in partial shady areas. Some members even flower during the evening.
It was originally domesticated from the wild nightshade species, “the thorn or bitter apple”
Eggplants are at their very best NOW… from August through October when they are in season.
They grow in a manner much like tomatoes, hanging from the vines of a plant that grows several feet in height. While the different varieties do range slightly in taste and texture, it is common to describe the eggplant as having a pleasantly bitter taste and spongy texture.
The stem is often spiny. The flower is white to purple. The egg-shaped glossy purple fruit has white flesh with a meaty texture. The cut surface of the flesh rapidly turns brown when the fruit is cut open. On wild plants, the fruit is less than 1.2 inches in diameter, but very much larger in cultivated forms, reaching 12 inches or more in length.
Botanically classified as a berry, the fruit contains numerous small, soft seeds that, though edible, taste bitter because they contain nicotinoid alkaloids. Why? Because the Eggplant is related to the tobacco plant!
Colors & Shapes vary from white to yellow or green, as well as how we commonly see eggplant as a reddish-purple or dark purple. Some Eggplants have a color gradient, from white at the stem to bright pink to deep purple or even black. Some eggplants are even green or purple with white striping!.
Chinese varieties are commonly shaped narrower, like a cucumber and are sometimes called “Japanese eggplants “in North America.
In 2014, Global production of eggplants was 49.4 million tons with 57% of output coming from – Which Country do you think ? The answer is China!
India contributed 27% of world total, while Iran, Egypt and Turkey were also major producers that with the Asian countries made 94% of world production. More than 4 Million acres are devoted to the cultivation of eggplants in the world.
Folklore Trivia for you:
A 13th century Italian tradition says that the eggplant can cause insanity
Health Benefits
Eggplant is great for your Brain!
Eggplants have rich sources of compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves against “oxidative stress” from exposure to the elements. What happens to iron if you leave it out in the rain? Have you ever left your bicycle out in the rain? It will start to rust…….due to the oxidation process. Antioxidants will also fight to protect themselves from infection by bacteria and fungi.
Much Research has been conducted on a nutrient found in “eggplant skin” called Nasunin (Na-soon-in). Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage and protecting against some cancer forming cells. In animal studies, Nasunin has been found to protect the fats in brain cell membranes. Cell membranes are almost entirely composed of fats and are responsible for protecting the cell from free radicals, letting nutrients in and wastes out, and receiving instructions from messenger nerve impulses that tell the cells in the brain which activities it should perform.
Nasunin also scavenges excess iron in the blood, preventing free radical cells from forming.
Nasunin is a true “SUPER HERO” for our cells in the Average Person!
Some people should be cautious in eating an “over amount” of Eggplant skin, which contains the compound Nasunin.
Since Nasunin has an antiangiogenic property…..meaning that it suppresses the development of new blood vessels… a pregnant woman may want to avoid eating eggplant skin. Also….women while menstruating or anyone who has frequent nosebleeds, may want to avoid eating the eggplant “skin,” since the Nasunin eats up the extra iron in the blood. Since Menstruating or having frequent nosebleeds may cause a reduction of iron in the blood.
More good news about eggplant is that another compound found in all varieties of eggplant is chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic Acid is another potent free radical scavenger found in plant tissues. Benefits attributed to chlorogenic acid include:
antimutagenic (anti-cancer), antimicrobial, anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) and antiviral activities.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
- Eggplant provides fiber, which protects the digestive tract.
- Eggplant is low in calories, with just 35 per cup. It contains hardly any fat and its high fiber content can help you feel full.
- Eggplants have been used for controlling and managing diabetes, due to the high fiber and low soluble carbohydrate content of the eggplant.
Other Nutritional Value
0.8 grams of protein,
4.82 grams of carbohydrates
0.15 grams of fat and
2.5 grams of dietary fiber.
A one-cup serving meets 10% of daily fiber needs, 5% potassium, 3% vitamin C, 5% vitamin B-6, 1% iron and 2% magnesium
Eggplant is a Winner in my book!
On last Concoction Friday’s episode I gave out a great Eggplant recipe
Spicy Eggplant with Cauliflower over Quinoa
Check out that episode to get that awesome Eggplant Recipe.
If you would like a copy of the delicious and healthy recipe, send me an email.
Support@TheWeightLossNation.
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