Health Benefits and Harmful Properties of Eggplant
Beautiful fruits of dark purple color, popularly referred to as blue, have long gained popularity. What are the health benefits and harms of eggplant, it will be useful for everyone to know.
Vegetable characteristic
Eggplant is considered a vegetable. In reality, it is not a vegetable, but a berry. The plant belongs to the Solanaceae family. The valuable components contained in the fruits help against obesity, vascular ailments and depression. In the past few years, scientists have said that boiled and baked berries are a good cancer prevention agent.
In the wild, eggplant grows in India and also in Burma. Nowadays, everyone knows about the benefits of eggplant. Valuable nutritional properties and availability are the main advantages of the culture.
Features of the fruit
Vitamins and trace elements in the composition, getting into the human body, help to establish the work of its most important organs and systems. Not only the pulp has a healing effect, but also the peel of the fruit.
Calorie content is low. There are only 25 kcal in 100 g of raw fruit pulp. The fruits are low in carbohydrates (5.88 g), there is almost no fat. But there is dietary fiber (3 g).
The benefits of eggplant for the body are explained by their composition:
- vitamin E: this valuable substance is an effective antioxidant;
- B vitamins (pyridoxine, riboflavin, etc.) normalize metabolism in the body;
- retinol;
- potassium has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart muscle;
- a nicotinic acid;
- copper and phosphorus: these substances are useful for the skeletal system;
- magnesium;
- calcium strengthens bones, eliminates fragility of blood vessels in people of different age groups;
- ascorbic acid strengthens the immune system;
- vitamin K is involved in building cells.
Healing properties
The pectin contained in the pulp of the fruit helps to get rid of excess cholesterol, and fiber removes toxins.
Vitamins B1, B2, B6 contained in the fruit will help you get rid of mood swings and depression. The pulp of the fruit contributes to the production of red blood cells. As a result, people have an increase in hemoglobin.
Eggplant helps in treating gout. Due to frequent use, uric acid salts will be excreted from your body along with urine.
The fruit is low-calorie, therefore it is recommended for the fight against excess weight. This fruit helps to keep the skin toned. The use promotes the healing of wounds on the skin and smoothing out wrinkles. For women over 40, blue ones are an anti-aging pill.
Benefits for adults and children
Eggplant has medicinal properties. The berry contains flavonoids. These substances protect brain cells from the damaging effects of free radicals.
This fruit is irreplaceable for women carrying a child, it tends to increase hemoglobin.
With a mild diuretic effect, eggplant helps relieve swelling. If a person suffers from constipation, he should use stewed fruits.
Eggplant is useful for heart disease: 2 tablespoons of eggplant caviar per day will help you to normalize your heart rate, strengthen the strength of the vascular walls.
The benefits of eggplant for the health of children are great, they strengthen the immune system, resist viral infections.
Interesting Facts
For lowering blood pressure, it is not so much the fruit that is useful as its peel. The skin of the fruit is dried and crushed. The powder is taken in a tablespoon 10 minutes before meals.
The skin is useful for bleeding gums, and teeth have become too sensitive to cold and hot food. Pour boiling water over the dried peel powder. After 15 minutes, rinse your mouth with infusion.
Little blue can get rid of smoking. They contain niacin, which reduces the smoker's cravings for tobacco products.
Eggplant poisoning
Only fresh fruits are suitable for consumption. Overripe berries can cause significant harm. Solanine accumulates in them, which causes poisoning.
Poisoning with ripe eggplants can occur when eating fried fruits that have absorbed a lot of oil. The calorie content of fruits after frying increases several times. The fiber in them is destroyed.
Eating raw eggplant is contraindicated, it is better to boil or stew it.
Poisoning symptom:
- nausea, vomiting;
- convulsions;
- intolerable stomach cramps
Not all eggplants are healthy. If you become ill due to the fault of overripe blue ones, for the next few days you need to adhere to strict dietary restrictions. Liquid cereals, milk and raw chicken egg white will help you restore normal stomach and intestinal function.
Signs of overripe eggplant
- dark brown spots are visible on the skin of the fetus;
- stale peduncle;
- there are many seeds inside the berry.
White varieties are ideal for stewed consumption. Solanine is practically absent in white berries. You should not expect the same benefits from salted fruits as from baked and boiled vegetables. To make the pulp absorb less oil during frying, you should cut it into slices and leave it in cool salted water for 30 minutes.
Vegetable harm
The harm and benefits of eggplant is the cause of much debate.
Contraindications to the use of eggplant:
- allergy;
- severe kidney disease;
- gastritis;
- inflammation of the pancreas;
- tendency to iron deficiency anemia.
Also contraindicated in children under 3 years of age.
The usefulness of eggplant for people with diabetes is a fact that needs no proof. To prevent the benefits of the fruit disappear, do not consume too much of them. The fruits contain few carbohydrates, which can cause hypoglycemia.
Are eggplants useful for nursing mothers, but you need to watch the baby's reaction. If the baby has a rash on the face or abdomen, it is better to refuse such food until the end of breastfeeding.
Conclusion
Vitamins and trace elements in the composition have a beneficial effect on metabolism, on the function of the heart and blood vessels. The substances contained in the pulp of the fruit help to strengthen the immune system, eliminate insomnia.
Not all cooking options contribute to the beneficial properties of eggplant. Fried fruit can bring people more problems than pleasure. Overripe berry negatively affects the body. You should not feast on people who have been diagnosed with kidney disease and gastritis.