Eggplant – ingredients, effects and application

Eggplants are a well-tolerated vegetable with very few calories and lots of water that are full of healthy nutrients. Eating eggplant regularly helps balance cholesterol levels, reduces joint inflammation and reduces body weight.

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Solanum melongena
• Common names: egg fruit, Spanish eggs, egg plant, melanzani
• Family: Nightshade family (Asteraceae)
• Distribution: The origin is in India, early distribution to West Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean, today worldwide, outside in a suitable climate, otherwise in the greenhouse.
• Plant parts used: The fruits
• Ingredients: Beta-carotene, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, anatabine alkaloids, solanine, anthocyanins, chlorogenic acid, phenolic acid, fiber
• Areas of application: arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatic complaints, reducing weight, diabetes, cholesterol balancing, hemorrhoids

Eggplant – An Overview

• Eggplants contain very few calories, namely 17 kilocalories per 100 grams, but many healthy nutrients.
• Old cultivated forms of eggplant were small, oval and whitish. This is where the name eggplant comes from, in English “eggplant”.
• In Central Europe, eggplant season is from June to October. From other countries, eggplants are available all year round. In Europe, the main growing areas are France, Spain, Italy and Greece.
• Eggplants provide a lot of water, but hardly any glucose, lipids and proteins. They are easy to digest and make it easier for the intestines to absorb nutrients.
• Eggplant tastes a bit bitter. To mitigate this, eggplants are traditionally sprinkled with salt.
• Eggplants are an all-rounder in the kitchen. They can also be used in so many different ways because of their low taste. For flavor, they are seasoned in the Mediterranean with herbs such as thyme, oregano and rosemary.
• Eggplants and other nightshades contain the poisonous solanine. That’s why they shouldn’t be eaten raw. The poison is neutralized when cooked.

ingredients

Eggplants provide various ingredients. They contain:

• • beta carotene,
  • Vitamin B6,
  • folic acid,
  • Vitamin C,
  • Potassium,
  • Calcium,
  • Magnesium,
  • Anatabine-Alkaloid,
  • Solanine,
  • Anthocyane,
  • chlorogenic acid,
  • phenolic acid,
  • fiber.

Medical effect

An Iranian review came to the following conclusion in 2021: Eggplants are suitable for controlling diabetes, lowering high blood pressure and reducing excess weight. They also counteract hyperlipidemia.

This is an umbrella term for disorders of fat metabolism. These can have different causes.

When you eat eggplant, the anatabine alkaloids come into action. They relieve joint pain that occurs in the following diseases: arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatic diseases or sciatica problems.

In large quantities, the anatabine alkaloids lead to nausea and vomiting, but in the portions in which we consume eggplant, they cause increased bile secretion to be released. This allows the liver to break down fat better.

The eggplant peel contains anthocyanins (colorings) and phenolic acid. Anthocyanins work against free radicals and thus against potentially harmful cell mutations.

They help keep vessels elastic and stabilize blood pressure. Anthocyanins also balance carbohydrate metabolism.

This counteracts diabetes. They also lower blood sugar levels after eating and thus keep insulin secretion intact.

Eggplants offer many health benefits, but they should never be eaten raw and should be avoided by people with gallbladder problems. (Image: tijana-drndarski/unsplash/own editing heilpraxis.de)

Of all the nightshade plants, eggplants provide the most phenolic acids, which include caffeic acid or ellagic acid. These prevent certain forms of cancer.

Among the minerals present in the eggplant, the abundant potassium is particularly important. This regulates the osmotic pressure in the cells and balances the fluid balance in the body.

Of the vitamins in eggplant, the focus is on vitamin B6 and folic acid. Both lower elevated blood pressure. Vitamin B6 also promotes the transfer of messenger substances in the brain and promotes nerve health.

A 2019 study found that daily intake of eggplant powder lowered blood pressure in stressed individuals and improved their mental health. Another study found that chemical active ingredients of a methanol extract from eggplant had a significant effect on hemorrhoids.

Balance cholesterol levels with eggplant

Regular consumption of eggplant is recommended if you want to keep your cholesterol levels at a healthy level in the long term. It is not a problem if the cholesterol level in a healthy body is temporarily a little higher or lower.

But some illnesses lead to a permanently elevated level of harmful LDL cholesterol, which has negative consequences. Even lavish, fat- and calorie-rich food results in constantly high cholesterol levels.

This then leads to blood fats being deposited in the vessels. The risk of heart attacks and strokes increases.

Cardiovascular diseases in particular, which are also promoted by high cholesterol levels, are among the typical diseases of industrial societies. Because there is heavy food and a large calorie intake.

Luckily, you don’t have to wait until illness occurs due to high cholesterol levels. You can reduce blood lipid levels as a preventive measure with a healthy diet.

Eggplant is ideal for this. It contains vital substances that have been proven to keep cholesterol levels in balance and lower the fatty acid content in the blood: beta-carotene, folic acid and chlorogenic acid.

There is also a lot of fiber. These occupy the intestines without being absorbed.

They promote digestion and bind toxins and cholesterol. The body then excretes this together with the fiber.

What do you have to pay attention to?

As in all nightshade plants, solanine is present in unripe eggplants. This poisonous bitter substance causes stomach pain, vomiting and nausea.

In raw eggplants, the proportion of solanine is high even for nightshades. They should therefore always be cooked.

Side effects and intolerances

You must not eat eggplant if you suffer from obstruction of the bile ducts, gall inflammation and/or gallstones. Eggplants promote the production of bile.

This drives digestion. However, in such biliary diseases, this healthy function is harmful because the higher level of bile makes the symptoms worse.

Grilled eggplant

Grilling is a good way to prepare eggplant. To do this, wash the aubergines, cut off the stem and cut the fruit into strips about one centimeter wide.

Then salt them on both sides of the cut surfaces and let them soak in water for around 15 minutes. Then dry the slices with kitchen paper.

You rub both sides with olive oil. Then season with salt and pepper and grill the strips for about five minutes on each side.

Eggplant cream and eggplant paste

In Mediterranean countries and Iran, eggplants are often made into cream or paste. To do this, the raw eggplants are first pierced with a knife so that the air can escape during baking.

They are then placed on a baking tray and cooked in a preheated oven at around 200 degrees for three quarters of an hour. Turn three to four times in between.

After 20 minutes, you can place unpeeled garlic cloves on the baking tray to give the paste a more intense flavor while baking. In other recipes, pureed garlic is added to the finished paste.

After 45 minutes, take the eggplants out of the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. You cut the fruit in half lengthways and scrape out the pulp.

Pour the liquid into a bowl. You chop the pulp as small as possible, mix it with finely chopped garlic and the eggplant juice.

Add tahine paste, several spoonfuls of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, finely chopped mint leaves and paprika powder. You press everything into a paste, for example with a potato masher, and serve it.

Eggplant in the oven

You can also bake eggplant without making a cream from it. To do this, line the trays with baking paper, wash and cut the aubergines and place the slices on the trays.

You also brush them with olive oil and rub them with a spice mixture. This basically consists of salt, garlic powder and olive oil. Heat the eggplants in the preheated oven at 200 degrees for around 30 minutes.

Baked and fried eggplant

Thanks to their spongy consistency, which absorbs flavors well and has little of their own aroma, eggplants are an all-rounder that adapts to various other ingredients. They can not only be grilled and baked, but also fried and steamed.

Rosemary, thyme or sage, as well as oregano, are suitable herbs. These contain all substances that have a positive effect on health and thus further enhance the bioactive effect of the eggplant.

For all preparation methods, remove the bitter substances from the eggplant before heating by salting the cut fruit and then washing it. Braised with peppers, eggplants belong in the well-known vegetable ratatouille.

Pickled eggplant

Fresh eggplants need to be prepared quickly as they don’t last long…