Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Eggplant

I only planted pone eggplant this year but  it's giving us  good harvest already.  I made some fritata last week, I'll be posting the photos at my food blog soon.

Let me share this info I  read online about eggplant.
Eggplant, or aubergine, is a common food grown throughout the world. Most people eat purple eggplant, although it grows in white, brown and yellow varieties as well. It is a common ingredient in Greek, French, Italian and many Indian cuisines. A breakdown of the nutritional value of eggplant tells of a food low in fats and calories and rich in several nutrients.
Here are more interesting stuff I found about Eggplant.
  • A one-cup serving of eggplant provides about 2 percent of a person's daily recommended vitamin C intake. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that the body uses in the growth and maintenance of tissues. While it is a source, the daily nutritional value of eggplant is not high in this vitamin when compared with many fruits and other vegetables.
  • Potassium is a mineral that works as an electrolyte in the body and is crucial for regulation of the heart. Too much potassium in the system can cause the heart to beat too fast, and too little potassium can cause the blood pressure to drop dangerously low. The nutritional value of eggplant when it comes to potassium is 3 percent per serving.
  • Eggplant is rich in dietary fiber, which is roughage for the body and helps the bowels stay regular and moving smoothly. It also helps keep cholesterol and blood sugar at appropriate levels. The daily percentage of dietary fiber in just one serving of eggplant is 10 percent.
  •  The nutritional value of eggplant also includes a wealth of manganese. Manganese is another mineral that serves to build bones and help the thyroid gland to function. It also interacts with several vitamins within the body in order for them to work properly and do their jobs. One serving of eggplant contains 6 percent of the body's daily needed manganese.
  • Nicotine is not something the body wants or needs, but one interesting component to the nutritional value of eggplant is that it contains more nicotine than any other edible plant. However, the amount of nicotine found in eggplant is still nowhere near the concentration found in cigarettes or other tobacco products. It would take a crate of eggplant to provide enough nicotine to actually be smoked.
  • One of the healthiest aspects of eggplant is that it does not contain much of anything that is bad for the body, even factoring in the trace amounts of nicotine. Eggplant is a low-fat and low-calorie option for those looking to lose weight and eat healthfully. Yet these benefits can be easily negated by cooking it with oils, cheeses and other ingredients that do not mirror eggplant's qualities in this respect.
****source of info: eHow.com

8 Smart Readers SAID::

MikiHope said...

That is interesting information! I never think to eat eggplant as a plain veggie-I think it is time I went on an internet search on how to prepare eggplant without all the the other stuff!!

Tricia said...

I love eggplant parm and would be curious what these fritats are.

JC said...

Definitely some interesting facts about eggplant. I've never heard of any food containing nicotine that's really interesting. Too bad you have to eat so much to have enough of it to keep someone from smoking.

Rebecca said...

i learned some new things about eggplants thank you

Hobbies on a Budget said...

I've never grown eggplant, but love eating fresh out of our garden. My counter is full of fresh vegetables!

Nova said...

oh i love eggplant, i guess my vegetable bed isn't working this year, i hope to find more sunlight in our backyard, for it seems that my plants were just starting to sprouts...bummer! give me some of those :D

jheylo said...

I love eggplant. We actually planted at our backyard and I checked yesterday it started growing some vegetables.

Nicole A. said...

The photo looks so bizarre to me. I've never seen eggplant not in a grocery store.

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