Interesting Facts About Eggplant You Need to Know

Eggplants are very common vegetables in our everyday meals. But there are some unique facts about it which will leave you dumbstruck. Did you know that it is not a vegetable but a fruit? Yes. It is a fruit because it grows from a flower and contains seeds inside it.  Generally, we are accustomed to the eggplants with deep purple skin but there are different colours available for eggplants like red, black and green. They are also known as aubergine and they belong to the nightshade family.

There are some awesome health benefits of eggplant and also different ways to make it.

Health Benefits of Eggplant

The major health benefits of eggplant are given below.

1. Eggplants are quite rich in different types of nutrients. They have enough vitamins, fibres and other minerals. Eggplants are also very low in calorie and that is why if you are in a diet plan then you can have this in your meals.

There are some trace elements as well in eggplant and if you eat eggplants regularly then you will get all the nourishment in your body in a proper way.

So we can say that eggplants are very effective when you need a lot of nourishments in you.

2. Eggplants are high in antioxidants and that is why it is chosen by so many people to get a source of antioxidant in their body. Antioxidants are effective when your body is attacked with free radicals.

These antioxidants will help you to fight the damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants also have the power to protect your body from some serious diseases like cancer or heart disease.

The antioxidant element in eggplant is anthocyanin which is responsible for the deep purple colour of the vegetable. It is called nasunin in the eggplant and it can save your cells from getting damaged.

3. Eggplants can reduce the effect of heart disease to a great extent. There was an interesting experiment done with rabbits with high cholesterol level in which they were given 10 ml of juice from eggplant for around 2 weeks.

Then it was visible that their triglycerides and LDL cholesterol were significantly low. It was a sign that eggplants are quite effective to reduce the risk of heart disease. So we can say that eggplants are very good if you have a chronic heart problem.

4. Almost everyone has diabetes right now and people are quite concerned about their blood sugar level because of that.

Eggplants can reduce blood sugar level. It has a lot of fibres which passes through our digestive system and helps to slow the digestion and also keeps the blood sugar level steady. Slow absorption of food will help to reduce the blood sugar level.

Eggplants have polyphenol which is very good for reducing the sugar level and increasing insulin secretion in your body.

5. If you are targeting a weight loss then eggplants are the choice for you. It will help you a lot in your weight-loss regime. Eggplants are quite famous as high fibre and low-calorie food.

And that is why if you are making a whole new diet plan for you with low calorie then you can include eggplants in it.

Eggplants are also wholesome and that is why you will fill fulfilling and you won’t get hungry soon. So for a good weight loss plan, you can include this vegetable in your diet.

6. Cancer has become a very serious disease these days and eggplants have some elements in it which can seriously fight with cancer cells and can prevent the risk of having cancer.

The element named solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides or SRG is present in some nightshade plants as well as eggplant which are effective to prevent cancer. In a recent study, it is shown that eggplants can prevent skin cancer efficiently. And it can work well for other types of cancers as well.

So if you want to stay healthy from this dangerous disease then you must include eggplants in your diet for sure.

7. Eggplants are easily available in the market and that is why you can add them into your diet plan very easily. Eggplants are quite common among the people and there are so many ways to cook it properly. It can be eaten in so many ways and that is the beauty of this vegetable.

So now let’s see the basic ways by which you can make eggplant at home.

Different ways to cook eggplants

There are different ways how to cook eggplants and that is why you will have a lot of options while choosing this vegetable for your daily meal. Some interesting ways to cook it are:

1. Baking

There is a simple way to make eggplants is to bake them. You can cut it into some strips or even circular slices for baking it. You can also use some spices and bread to make it a wholesome meal for you. And baking is also quite good for health and that is why it will be a good option for the health-conscious people.

2. Making a dip

You can anytime scoop out the pulp inside the skin of the eggplant and mash it enough to make a simple dip. It will have a creamy texture and also a smoky flavour to it which will be a good combination with any food you like.

3. Roasting

You can roast the eggplant with some sprinkle of spices like salt and pepper and some oil. It will be a charred smoky piece of eggplant which you can cut into pieces and enjoy with some pasta or salad.

4. Tossing

If you love to eat pasta or noodles then you can toss some eggplants with it after cutting it into small pieces or cubes. It will be a very good combination with the recipe if you sauté them before mixing it with your pasta or noodle.

5. Grilling

If you want a good smoky flavour and also a healthy way to have eggplant, you can grill it with a minimal amount of oil and some hot spices. It will be a very good starter for a vegetarian person.

6. Stir-frying

When deep-frying is not an option for most of us due to health reasons, stir fry can be an option to cook awesome eggplant. You can cut them into small slices and stir fry it. The result will be a semi-soft material which will taste delicious with any food.

7. Stuffing

If you want the eggplant to pair up with some other food then you can stuff the soft pulp to a different dish and make it wholesome.

8. Frying

If you want to make the most delicious eggplant ever then you can fry it and serve with chapatti or rice. It will be enough for you to complete your whole meal.

So these were all about eggplants which you have to know before adding it into your diet plan. You can choose any of them to satiate your hunger and also be healthy all the time. Because all of these recipes are quite healthy and also easy to cook.