Eggplant, An Antioxidant Powerhouse
There is a strange looking berry lurking in the produce section of your favorite grocery store. It’s large, often but not always purple,
Eggplant (Photo credit: AsianLifestyleDesign)
and packed with antioxidants. It’s hiding with the vegetables.
Although commonly called a vegetable the eggplant, closely related to peppers and tomatoes, is classified as a berry. One of the biggest berries I know of.
Like it’s cousin the pepper eggplant comes in many shapes, colors, and sizes. The form usually found in the United States is between a pound and a pound and a half and purple in color.
The name “eggplant” comes from a variety cultivated in the 1800’s that was about the same size, shape, and color of a hen’s egg.
Eggplant contains a slew of vitamins and minerals and also has several phytonutrients with antioxidant properties. Some of eggplants phytonutrients are the phenolic compounds caffeic and chlorogenic acid and the flavonoid nasunin.
Nasunin is a strong antioxidant and free radical scavenger that protects against cell damage. Chlorogenic acid is another free radical scavenger, possibly the most potent, and may have anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, and cholesterol lowering properties.
Who Says Eating Healthy Has to Be Tasteless?
It is a common misconception that if it’s good for you it can’t taste very good. Eggplant is featured in many international cuisines. There is the French dish Ratatouille, the Italian Chicken Parmesan, and numerous Asian Stir Fry dishes.
With a little bit of experimenting you can find quite a few Eggplant dishes that suit your taste.
How To Choose Your Eggplant
Pick and eggplant that is firm and heavy for it’s size. The skin should be shiny and smooth and the color bright.
Eggplant perishes quickly after slicing so make sure the skin is intact. Eggplant can be stored in your refrigerator for a few days but should be prepared within one or two days for optimum nutrition
Consider adding eggplant to your diet for both the potential health benefits and the wide variety of tasty dishes that you can make with it.
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I’m so worried about the way our children are headed in nowadays. Watching Jamie Olivers food revolution on tv the other day scared the thingies out of me. I suggest we all start cooking some healthy recipes like these at home if we’re going to fix this horrible situation. The ones on that site seem pretty easy, I tried last night and it’s the first time my family has eaten healthy in so long, I just feel great.