6 Health Benefits of Eggplant
A species of nightshade, eggplant is used in a variety of cooking. It is a great ingredient and comes packed with several health benefits. Here are some of the reasons why adding eggplants to your diet can prove very helpful.
1. Rich in Nasunin
Eggplant is often called the brain food because it has an anthocyanin phytonutrient called nasunin in its skin. Not only is this nasunin a potent antioxidant but it is also a free radical scavenger. It helps in protecting the brain cell membranes from any sort of damage. Nasunin is also an iron chelator and it helps in ensuring that you do not have excess iron in your body.
2. Rich in phenolic antioxidant compounds
Eggplants have a phenolic compound called chlorogenic acid. This effective free radical scavenger has anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-viral, and anti-LDL (bad cholesterol) properties.
3. Helps in treating cancer
Thanks to the high amount of fiber in eggplant, it has been found very helpful in treating colon cancer. It helps by absorbing chemical and toxins that can often lead to the risk of developing colon cancer. This especially works great if you also consume the skin of the eggplant as well since the skin may have more fiber than eggplant itself. This fiber also proves very effective if you are trying to lose weight.
