Eggplant Health Benefits & Quick Tips

Eggplants are members of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. Eggplants provide very little nutrition, but are among our most versatile vegetables and a component of many popular ethnic dishes, including Indian curries, Greek moussakas, Middle Eastern baba ghanoush, and French ratatouille. Eggplants are filling, yet low in calories—a cup has 40 calories, and it provides a fair amount of fiber.

Health Benefits

Helps with weight loss.
Prepared with little fat, eggplants can be a part of a healthy diet and can help you lose weight. It also contains fiber, which helps you feel full.

Health Risk

Added calories.
Eggplants’ spongy texture soaks up fat. Deep-fried eggplants soak up four times as much fat as french-fried potatoes. For best results, prepare it in a way that requires minimal fat, such as broiling, baking, roasting, or stewing. If sautéing, use a nonstick pan and little oil.

QUICK TIP:
Swap eggplant for meat
Eggplants’ texture and versatility make them a good meat substitute. Use it in place of meat in stews, casseroles, and sandwiches.

QUICK TIP:
Get rid of the bitterness with salt
To eliminate the bitter flavor in some eggplants, sprinkle cubed or sliced eggplant with salt. Let it stand for half an hour, then drain it and blot it dry. The salt draws out the excess moisture and reduces bitterness.

Eating Tips
• Grill sliced Japanese or Italian eggplant drizzled with olive oil and rosemary.
• Bake halved baby eggplant stuffed with seasoned ground lamb.
• Coat sticks in seasoned panko, lightly oil, and bake for eggplant fries.

Buying Tips
• Look for firm eggplants with thin skins; these have the mildest flavor.
• Larger eggplants are likely to be seedy, tough, and bitter.
• Choose eggplants that are heavy for their size, without cracks or discolored spots.
• Skin ranges in color from deep purple to light violet and white.

Storing Tips
• Keep eggplants in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
 • They are best when used within 5 to 7 days.

EGGPLANT FACTS
• Eggplants are technically berries, not vegetables.
• Research from a 1993 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that eggplant has the highest level of nicotine of any vegetable. However, a person would have to eat between 20 to 40 lb of it to get the same amount available in a cigarette.