How Garden Egg/ Egg Plant Benefits Your Health

The garden egg, also known as eggplant is a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper and thiamin (vitamin B1). It is also a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium and niacin. Eggplant also contains phytonutrients such as nasunin and chlorogenic acid.

The garden egg with its bitter taste and spongy texture could really make an amazing pot of stew with a nice aroma. When eaten with boiled yam or rice, it becomes a delicacy you don’t want to miss.

The garden egg can be regarded as a brain food because it houses the anthocyanin phytonutrient found in its skin, Nasunin, a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage.

Studies have shown that nasunin protects the fats in brain cell membranes. Nasunin is not only a potent free-radical scavenger, but is also an iron chelator.

Iron is an essential nutrient, necessary for oxygen transport, normal immune function and collagen synthesis, but when it becomes too much in the blood stream, it becomes a major concern. Excess iron increases free radical production and is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.

Menstruating women, who lose iron every month in their menstrual flow, are unlikely to be at risk, but in postmenopausal women and men, iron, which is not easily excreted, can accumulate.

By chelating iron, nasunin lessens free radical formation with numerous beneficial results, including protecting blood cholesterol from peroxidation; preventing cellular damage that can promote cancer; and lessening free radical damage in joints, which is a primary factor in rheumatoid arthritis.

The predominant phenolic compound found in garden eggs is chlorogenic acid, which is one of the most potent free radical scavengers found in plant tissues.

The chlorogenic acid performs antimutagenic (anti-cancer) activities in the body. It also performs anti- LDL (bad cholesterol) activities by increasing the levels of HDL (good cholesterol) in the body and at the same time has antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Consuming high amounts of garden eggs have been found to be beneficial for people with glaucoma because it lowers the eye pressure.

Eggplant contains measurable amounts of oxalates which are naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems.

For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating eggplant.

Though laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body, recent research has concluded that the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan.

Chewing thoroughly while eating, can enable you get significant benefits, including absorption of calcium, from calcium-rich foods that also contain oxalic acid. So, eating garden eggs does not stop you from meeting your calcium requirements.

Low in calories and high in fibre, the eggplant is good for carbohydrate counters and dieters can actually snack on garden eggs in-between meals.