Toward the middle of summer, eggplants appear on vegetable shelves - beautiful berries that are actively used in cooking and winter preservation. Man first grew this culture as an ornamental and only then paid attention to its taste and benefits. But if used improperly, eggplant can harm the body.
Eggplant, or in the common people blue refers to nightshade berries. In appearance, it can have a rich purple, less often - a pale blue or even white peel. Unlike the pulp, it gives a bitter taste, but it is this quality that many appreciate in eggplant. The fruit is rich in useful substances:
Eggplant can be used in cooking, canned
Attention! In terms of molybdenum content, eggplant occupies a leading position among fruit and vegetable crops.
Eggplant fruits are distinguished not only by the color of the peel, but also by shape. Blue ones are pear-shaped, oval, or combine different rounded shapes. As a rule, the mass of the fetus is approximately equal to half a kilo or a little more.
The main feature of the eggplant is that you need to pluck it in an unripe state. Of course, you won't get poisoned by eating a fully ripe blueberry. But its flesh will be rough and lose spicy taste. From overripe fruits, the peel should generally be cut off beforehand. This garden berry is usually harvested from late summer to October.
The bitterness in the skin of this vegetable crop is provided by solanine. The substance is natural poison. Their poisoning is accompanied by dizziness, convulsions, pain and intestinal upset. However, there is very little poison in the peel. For example, in the green parts of the potato peel it is more. The poison will manifest itself only if you eat too many fruits.
Attention! Eggplant tends to accumulate solanine during growth. Therefore, the older the berry, the more poison the skin contains.
The pulp of the blue one also has harmful substances, which stimulate an increase in the amount of oxalic acid in the body. It is the cause of kidney stones. Therefore, doctors do not advise people with urolithiasis to eat eggplant. Other contraindications to the use of blue ones:
In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, you should not eat a large amount of eggplant
The benefits of vegetables are much greater than the harm. Delicious fruits have a positive effect on metabolism and immunity, the functioning of the nervous and circulatory systems. Also blue ones have a positive effect on:
Attention! Eggplant is also considered a food that resists the formation of cancer cells. The pulp contains more than a dozen phenolic acids, which are responsible for this. The darker the fruit, the more of them.
Eggplant works well in combination with diets, the purpose of which is to reduce body weight. Garden crop stimulates the removal of moisture from the body, being a diuretic. With its help, you can fight edema and constipation of the intestines. At the same time, blue ones have bactericidal qualities. Doctors also advise eating eggplant dishes for people suffering from:
eggplant renders positive influence on the body
Eggplant is suitable for people who decide to quit smoking. In microdoses, the peel of the berry contains nicotine. Its share is negligible, which is harmful to health, but can help the smoker to ease one of the stages of parting with a cigarette. In ancient times, eggplant was called "rabies apples", believing that after eating the berries, a person can go crazy. Modern research has shown that the substance nasunin, which is found in blue ones, protects the brain and helps to maintain clarity of thinking for longer.
Eggplant is good for expectant mothers because copper and manganese help maintain health circulatory system. Folic acid stimulates the normal development of the placenta, protecting the baby from an aggressive environment and pathologies. AT traditional medicine you can also find recipes for external use of eggplant. For example, Fresh Juice from the pulp has good disinfecting properties. It is used to treat skin inflammations, arthritis, gout, fight fungi.
Eggplant is a culture with excellent taste properties and a set of valuable substances. However, when eating berries, you should know when to stop.
In the common people, eggplants are called blue, taking into account the special shade of the vegetable. In terms of the content of nutrients, the fruit surpasses its counterparts, and this is not surprising. A valuable chemical list allows the use of eggplant in the treatment and prevention of many diseases. That is why people are so interested in the benefits and harms of vegetables. Let's talk about everything in detail.
It is difficult to list the massive chemical list of elements that make up the basis of the fetus. The benefits of the product are determined by the presence of all vitamins, minerals, acids necessary for a person.
In addition to the above components, eggplant is rich in copper, phosphorus, aluminum, boron, iodine, fluorine, sulfur, molybdenum, cobalt. The vegetable contains ash, starch, mono- and polysaccharides, dietary fiber, organic acids.
Despite such an abundance of valuable substances, the calorie content of 100 gr. eggplant is only 36 kcal. For this reason, many include a vegetable in the diet menu. For these purposes, the fruits are stewed, boiled and steamed, but not fried.
The valuable qualities of eggplant are reflected in the human body. A vegetable has the following actions:
We can say with confidence that eggplants will bring an invaluable contribution to the development and strengthening of body tissues. Consider the nuances that may cause complications associated with the presence of chronic ailments that occur in an acute form. During pregnancy, the product is introduced into the diet of the expectant mother only after the approval of a specialist.
Today we will discuss the benefits and harms of eggplant, because in recent times More and more people are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle. And an important part healthy lifestyle life becomes a proper balanced diet. Those who want to prolong youth and achieve longevity include as many vegetables and fruits as possible in their diet. There are a number of vegetables that are in the highest demand. In particular, these are eggplants.
In today's article, we will talk about this favorite of summer residents and housewives - eggplant and its benefits and harms. And for starters, a few facts from the history of growing eggplant.
This vegetable is from a species of perennial herbaceous plants of the Solanaceae genus, it grows up to 30 cm in length, up to 20 cm in width.
It appeared in Russia in the 17th and 18th centuries. People gave many funny names to this fruit: “baglazhany”, “demyanki”, “badarzhany”, “pakistan”, “podlizhany” and, finally, “blue” and “blue”.
Although in fairness it should be noted that eggplants are not only blue. The color of the fruits of this berry (and this is a berry) varies depending on the variety and degree of maturity of the eggplant: from milky white to golden white, from light purple to dark purple, and the overripe fruit becomes gray-green or brownish-yellow, with brown ponytail.
Blue-black oblong unripe fruits, in which there are few seeds, are considered the most delicious.
The composition of ripe eggplant fruits includes 0.9% of proteins; 5.5% carbohydrates; 1.3% fiber; 0.1% fat; 0.2% organic acids; 9% dry matter, the rest is water.
For people who watch their weight, eggplant is simply necessary, since the fiber it contains quickly creates a feeling of satiety and contains only 28 kilocalories per 100 grams of product.The benefits of eggplant have been proven by scientists more than once, and even before that it was often famous in alternative medicine of many peoples of the world. Eggplant normalizes water-salt and lipid metabolism in human body, removes uric acid salts from the body, is rich in potassium, which is very important for the cores.
Eggplant is useful for gout, diseases of the heart and vascular system, atherosclerosis, constipation, impaired kidney and liver function (with the exception of chronic renal failure). Eggplant does not allow bile to stagnate.
Thanks to vitamin C, eggplant protects the body from colds. Eggplant is very useful for diabetics, as it lowers blood sugar and relieves anemia due to its iron content.
Another unique property of eggplant is that it helps to get rid of cravings for smoking. Vitamin PP helps reduce addiction to tobacco smoke, and if you quit smoking, lean on this vegetable.
Stress and insomnia will also recede if you often eat eggplant. Magnesium and B vitamins contribute to this.
Eggplant also has unusual regenerating properties due to zinc and vitamin C. In order to heal wounds, you can put crushed eggplant pulp on them, or you can use only the juice of fresh young fruits.
Stewed and baked eggplants are very useful for pregnant women, as they contain iron and copper.
In the East, eggplants are famous for their beneficial properties and are considered a longevity vegetable.. Oriental women love this vegetable not only for its healing effect on the body, but also for its ability to have a rejuvenating effect, improve skin color, smooth wrinkles and give skin elasticity.
For one of the hypertensive the best means- infusion of dried eggplant skin. The benefits of eggplant for the heart and blood vessels are obvious, since it not only normalizes blood pressure, but also maintains it at an optimal level for a person. The peel should be dried, crushed and taken daily in a teaspoon three times a day.
The use of eggplant is useful both for prevention and for the treatment of atherosclerosis: this vegetable removes cholesterol from the body, reduces its concentration in the blood.
Eggplants are indicated for elderly people and those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, which are accompanied by edema. It has a mild diuretic effect.
Even eggplant treatment is known, for example, the consumption of eggplant in medicinal purposes helps lower blood cholesterol levels.
The pulp of eggplant fruits contains a large amount of potassium, which normalizes water metabolism in the body and maintains the work and normal rhythm of the heart. Eggplant contains vitamins C, B, B2, PP, carotene, magnesium, calcium, cobalt, sodium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus and iron.
People suffering from joint diseases should include eggplant in their diet for treatment. Arthrosis, arthritis, osteoporosis, gout, articular rheumatism, osteochondrosis are much easier, since eggplant is able to strengthen joints and bones, which is very important in old age.
Eggplant has a strengthening and healing effect on teeth and gums. To those who have often there are problems with teeth - caries, periodontal disease, stomatitis, the formation of abscesses in the oral cavity, it is worth preparing eggplants along with cups.
They are soaked for about a day in cold water, then poured with a solution of sea salt at the rate of 1 kg of salt per 8 liters of water and kept in it for a week and a half under load. Then the water is drained and the soaking in salt water is repeated again.
After a week, the collection should be washed with running water, squeezed out, dried in a well-ventilated place, avoiding exposure to direct sun. After that, it is dried in an oven so that it can be pounded with a pestle, and the powder is applied to the affected teeth.
As a prophylactic for the treatment of diseases of the teeth and gums, eggplant can also be used. Eggplant ash is ground into a powder and used to clean the teeth, but without the use of toothpaste. Or you can just make toothpaste from baked eggplant with 1: 1 salt, store it in the refrigerator and use it from time to time. Strong gums and white teeth are guaranteed.Although there is a lot of controversy about the harmful properties of eggplant. For example, you should not eat overripe eggplant, which contains a lot of solanine. Solanine is dangerous because it can cause severe poisoning.
Symptoms of solanine poisoning: colic, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, convulsions, violent behavior. The antidote in this case is drinking plenty of water, milk and raw egg white.
An interesting observation: in white varieties of eggplant, solanine is not formed at all, and the harm of white eggplant is even less common. However, it is still better not to eat overripe eggplants of any variety.
Usually, eggplants are soaked in water and salt before cooking to avoid soaking up a lot of oil during cooking. You can also boil eggplant cut into pieces in boiling water before cooking.
Eggplant goes well with other vegetables, especially with tomatoes, zucchini and peppers, as well as with all kinds of meat and fish, with cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese.
Eggplants “love” spices and herbs: rosemary, basil, onion, thyme, garlic, coriander and cilantro, zira (cumin), tarragon (aka tarragon) and others, as well as spice mixtures, pastes, and any sauces.
It is most useful to eat eggplants in a baked form, so they retain a maximum of useful substances and do not require oil. They need to be pricked a little with a fork beforehand so that they do not burst during cooking. Grilled eggplant is also very tasty.
In Armenian cuisine, there is even eggplant jam - with a slight sourness and bitterness.
Salt, pickle, dry and freeze eggplants preferably in sliced form.
Homemade eggplant masks make the skin supple, brighten age spots, moisturize and tone it, fight inflammation. For hives, acne and eczema, a decoction of eggplant leaves and stems with a little honey is used.
Eggplants are actively used in cooking in many countries of the world. They are stewed, boiled, fried, baked, used to make eggplant salads and especially caviar. Eggplant "boats" or rolls stuffed with meat, vegetables and cheese with garlic exist in many cuisines of the world.
Further, on our portal we will tell and give photo recipes for cooking more than once, from which, as you hope, you have already understood healthy eggplants, and their harmful properties can be completely avoided thanks to right choice of this vegetable - berries when buying.
And we will end today's story on this, and wish, as always great health and we recommend reading a few more articles, and, as an example of other popular vegetables - berries.
" Eggplant
Mankind has been cultivating vegetables for centuries. They enrich the diet with vitamins, make the daily menu varied. The abundance of vegetables allows you to choose for food those that suit your taste. Eggplants are well-deserved popularity among hostesses. From them you can cook a delicious dinner, mouth-watering snacks, perhaps familiar to everyone. In addition, they are a great variety winter diet, because they are good in salted and pickled form, they are combined with other vegetables and are used as country preparations. We will talk about the benefits and harms of eggplant for human health in this article.
These vegetables are native to Southeast Asia.. In the tropics of India, they are found in the wild. Indians South America used eggplant for food long before the discovery of the continent by Europeans.
In Europe, they began to be eaten only in the Middle Ages.. Prior to this, strange properties were attributed to the plant, for example, to cause insanity, they were not eaten.
In the history of Russia, the first mention of this vegetable dates back to the 18th century. At the beginning of the twentieth century. they were successfully grown in the southern regions of the country.
Today, thanks to the work of breeders and climate change, these vegetables grow well in the middle lane and more northern regions.
Large oblong fruits, depending on the variety, can reach a length of 70 cm. In addition to the usual purple color, plants are bred with different shades of fruits: white, burgundy, almost black.
Eggplant is a vitamin- and mineral-rich berry that belongs to the nightshade family. Due to its low calorie content (24 kcal per 100 g), it is often used in various diets for those who want to lose weight.
The little blue ones, that's what they affectionately call him in the southern regions of Russia, they are very rich:
High in potassium and zinc causes a diuretic effect and popularity in the diet of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Relieves swelling, strengthens the heart muscles, removes cholesterol.
Helps overcome nicotine addiction. Due to the high content of nicotinic acid, eggplant dishes reduce the desire to smoke and contribute to weaning from a bad habit.
low calorie helps to actively use the vegetable in weight correction. Folic acid is responsible for the normalization of hematopoietic processes.
Contains antioxidants that protect against the development oncological diseases. Due to the fiber that is part of the fruits, the work of the gastrointestinal tract, liver and gallbladder improves.
The program “Live healthy!” will tell about the benefits of eggplant:
For all the usefulness do not use "blue":
Few contraindications. As part of steamed vegetable stews, eggplant will benefit almost everyone.
Useful for pregnant women due to the high content of folic acid, the use helps to cope with the swelling that often accompanies pregnancy.
Normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract during lactation. Helps to diversify the diet, allows you to quickly get rid of excess weight.
Because men are the most susceptible cardiovascular diseases, they need the consumption of eggplant, which enriches the body with essential zinc and potassium.
In addition, under high physical stress, "blue ones" show a general strengthening effect.
Due to the high content of nicotinic acid, these vegetables are one of the main products during the period of smoking cessation.
low calorie dishes allows you to control weight, this is true for both men and women.
Until a year and a half, it is better not to include eggplant in the children's menu. With iron deficiency and low hemoglobin purple berries help fill the gap.
They will relieve the baby of constipation and normalize the work of the digestive tract. The peculiar taste of dishes with this vegetable will surely please the baby.
Important: eggplants are not eaten raw. Cooking in a large amount of oil will not bring the body anything but harm.
Choose slightly underripe, smooth and shiny specimens. Wrinkled overripe berries are of no value.
Tastier fruit with a thin skin. The darker the fruit, the better the taste.. Stores well frozen or dried.
Tip: To remove the bitterness, soak them in water for 2-4 hours, or chop and blanch (dip in boiling water) for 1-2 minutes.
Blot the chopped blanched vegetables with a napkin, put them in a container and place in the refrigerator. So they are stored for up to six months. No need to defrost before cooking.
Dry outdoors, providing air circulation and protecting from direct sunlight. You can cut fresh eggplant and dry it in the oven or fruit dryer.
When used in dietary nutrition, it is more useful to cut the peel from a vegetable.
They are used to make vegetable stews.. Stew over low heat, adding carrots, bell pepper, onions, greens and potatoes. To prepare the dish, use 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
Remember: when frying, the “blue ones” absorb a lot of oil. It is better to bake or stew. They can be marinated, salted, cooked popular caviar, stewed or fried.
They go great with meat or vegetables.. Eggplant stuffed with meat or vegetables is a tasty and nutritious dish.
Eggplant with nuts and eggplant with garlic and herbs, video recipe:
Eggplant has long settled on our table. Useful and bright, no matter what similar taste , made them popular on holidays and weekdays. They found admirers in different countries.
Cheap and tasty When properly prepared, these vegetables can bring significant benefits to the body.
Eggplants are one of the most beloved vegetable crops in the world. A special interest in vegetables is associated with the versatility of eggplant, which can be fried, stewed, baked and served boiled. At the same time, dishes with them invariably turn out tasty, nutritious and healthy.
What are the beneficial properties of eggplant, and what is worthy in their composition most attention health care people?
Elastic, covered with purple, motley or white skin - this is a welcome guest in any kitchen.
After cooking, this valuable vegetable not only absorbs the aromas of the products with which it is cooked, but also transfers its taste and the beneficial substances that are part of the eggplant to the dishes.
The main advantage of fresh fruits is the abundance of fiber, pectin, and macro- and microelements vital for human life. These substances mainly determine the properties of eggplant. Despite the fact that the greenish pulp of the vegetable is rich in potassium, iron and phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, it also contains vitamins. These are ascorbic acid, vitamin PP, or nicotinic acid, as well as a number of B vitamins: B1, B2 and B5.
This composition of the vegetable determines the health benefits of eggplant, including the ability to prevent the absorption of bad cholesterol and reduce the already existing level of this substance in the blood. Potassium in eggplant dishes actively affects the heart and blood composition, fiber helps cleanse the body and support digestive processes.
The nutritional value of a 100-gram serving of eggplant consists of:
If we add that 100 grams of eggplant, depending on the variety, contains only 24–28 kcal, then we can talk about the value of this culture as a dietary product that is in demand for overweight and.
The importance of the beneficial properties of eggplant for the body and the need to include this vegetable in the diet of a wide range of people is determined precisely by the biochemical composition of the fruit.
Since the number of patients with cardiovascular diseases around the world is steadily growing, a variety of eggplant dishes can be a good help in the prevention of these serious ailments. Vegetables containing a lot of fiber, potassium and other substances contribute to:
All these properties of eggplant are useful for people of mature and older age, who are at risk for blood vessels, and also more often than others suffering from lethargy of digestion, edema and high blood pressure.
With proper cooking, the value of eggplant, as a dietary, healthy vegetable, does not decrease.
The exception is the frying of fruits, during which the pulp is literally saturated with oil, and instead of benefit, the harm from eggplant is simply inevitable, especially if a person has problems with digestion and pancreas.
Thanks to ascorbic acid and other vitamins, eggplants are recommended as a prophylactic:
Pectins contained in vegetables also contribute to the list of useful properties of eggplant, which also stimulate the digestion of food and improve metabolism.
These valuable vegetables are absolutely harmless in case of diabetes. In addition to the therapeutic and preventive effect in atherosclerosis and heart problems, eggplants are useful in detecting signs of osteoporosis and osteochondrosis:
To fully enjoy the benefits of eggplant, and reduce the harm from their use to a minimum, it is better to eat these vegetables boiled, stewed or baked.
Due to the low calorie content of eggplant and the high concentration of dietary fiber and trace elements in vegetables, dishes with purple fruits are desirable in the diet for weight loss.
What are the health benefits of eggplant, at a time when the body experiences deprivation every day due to the "poverty" of the diet?
Firstly, with the help of eggplant and other vegetables, the menu for losing weight can be diversified and saturated with delicious and healthy dishes as much as possible. In addition, eggplants are useful for the presence of iron and copper, magnesium and potassium, vitamins and organic acids. With such a diet, the body will not be depleted, but will spend the accumulated fats for the benefit of health.
The best way to prepare eggplant is by boiling, gently stewing and roasting, without the use of oil. In this case, the dish will retain a low calorie content, retain the taste inherent in vegetables and the beneficial properties of eggplant.
Do not refuse to eat eggplant for people suffering from chronic diseases of the digestive tract and stomach in remission. A slight irritant effect of the fruit on the mucous membrane only activates the processes of digestion without causing any harm.
Eggplants are also extremely useful. These vegetables can prevent the accumulation and deposition of uric acid salts, which negatively affect the joints, as well as disrupt the functioning of the gallbladder and kidneys.
During pregnancy and lactation, the woman herself can determine the benefits and harms of eggplant by the presence or absence of signs of an allergic reaction.
The main thing is that fresh young fruits that do not contain nitrates and other toxic substances are used for food.
The most serious mistakes made when eating eggplant are:
If you refuse delicious meals with fried slices is impossible; before heat treatment, eggplants are recommended to be kept in cold salted water from 10 minutes to half an hour.
During this time, not only will the risk of fat absorption decrease, but the concentration of corned beef dangerous to health will also decrease, and the beneficial properties of eggplant will remain unchanged.
You should not get carried away with vegetable stews and other dishes with eggplant for people suffering from exacerbation of peptic ulcer or gastritis, as well as in the acute phase of urinary and gallstone disease.