Are you a brinjal lover? Then here is good news for you! Apart from enhancing the food’s flavors and textures, they offer ample surprising health benefits. This is also known as the eggplant, which belongs to the plant’s nightshade family. Moreover, they come with the taste bland, mild, and bitter. This is further yearly grown foliage of tropical and subtropical regions that grow widely. Apart from that, they come with a beautiful purple hue along with a huge, gourd shape. Also, the aubergine can be pink, white, black, green, or variegated purple-white. Besides, Solanum melongena is its scientific name and has more nutritional sources. Continue reading to know the wonderful health benefits of brinjal.
Nutritional value per 100 g
| Energy | 104 kJ (25 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 5.88 g |
| Sugars | 3.53 g |
| Dietary fiber | 3 g |
| Fat | 0.18 g |
| Protein | 0.98 g |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.039 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.037 mg |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.649 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.281 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.084 mg |
| Folate (B9) | 22 μg |
| Vitamin C | 2.2 mg |
| Vitamin E | 0.3 mg |
| Vitamin K | 3.5 μg |
| Calcium | 9 mg |
| Iron | 0.23 mg |
| Magnesium | 14 mg |
| Manganese | 0.232 mg |
| Phosphorus | 24 mg |
| Potassium | 229 mg |
| Zinc | 0.16 mg |
| Water | 92 g |
Health Benefits of Egg Plant
1. Best for Diabetes
Adding brinjal to your diet can help to keep your blood sugar level in control. As they contain a high source of fiber and have a low soluble level of carbohydrates, intake can manage type 2 diabetes. Moreover, fiber can slow the digestion rate and body sugar absorption to lower the chances of diabetes. Apart from that, eggplants have natural plant compounds or polyphenols, which work effectively to increase insulin secretion and lessen sugar absorption.
2. Help with Weight Loss
As brinjal is low in calories and high in fiber, they become an excellent addition to all kinds of weight loss diets. Further, a cup of chopped aubergine contains 20 calories only and offers bulk to your diet. Consequently, it increases the fulfilling feeling that resists you from eating more in between meals. Thus, if you desire to keep the weight in control, then it is worth considering the brinjal that is low calorie. Additionally, this vegetable is a great replacement for the higher-calorie foods that affect your health.
3. Ensure the Healthy Heart
The high level of antioxidants present in the brinjal makes them the ideal food to reduce the risk of diverse heart problems. Besides, they have vitamin C, potassium; vitamin B-6 which all support heart health. The fiber also aids to reduce the cholesterol level that your body absorbs by attaching it to the bile of the digestive system. Hence, intake of eggplant regularly is essential to improve heart function and decrease the severity of heart attacks.
4. Prevents Cancer
Brinjal contains numerous substances that fight effectively against cancer cells. Also, they have solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRGs), which is a kind of compound that shows potential in preventing cancer. So, intake of aubergine can help to get rid of lung cancer, gastric cancer, skin cancer, and others. Apart from that, the dietary fiber of the eggplant would promote food digestion. As well, they can eliminate the body’s toxic waste that eventually assists with colon or stomach cancer.
5. Better Cognitive Function
The brinjal has nausea, an anthocyanin in its skin that would help to protect the membranes of the brain cells from damage caused by free radicals. Also, it aids to transport nutrients into cells and shifts waste away. Moreover, anthocyanin helps to prevent and facilitate blood flow to the brain and neuroinflammation. Accordingly, it will help to reduce the risks of memory loss and other age-related mental decline aspects. Besides, nausea also reduces the brain’s fat breakdown, which would cause cell damage.
6. Rich in Various Nutrients
The brinjals are nutrient-dense vegetables, which means they contain more amounts of minerals, fibers, and minerals along with low calories. One cup of raw aubergine has the below nutrient factors:
- 20 grams of calories
- 5 grams of carbohydrates
- 10% of the Manganese (Recommended Dietary Intake)
- 5% of the Folate (Recommended Dietary Intake)
- 5% of the potassium (Recommended Dietary Intake)
- 4% of the Vitamin K (Recommended Dietary Intake)
- 3% of the Vitamin C (Recommended Dietary Intake)
Apart from that, eggplants also have a small number of other nutrients such as magnesium, niacin, and copper.
Final Thoughts
The brinjal is a low-calorie, high-antioxidant, and high-fiber vegetable that is also rich in diverse nutrients. So, don’t forget to add them to your everyday food menu to relish the above potential health benefits. Besides, intake of them properly will assure the proper health of your body.
