Eggplant: The Fat Sponge

Eggplant is a nightshade vegetable, so if you suffer consequences from nightshade veggies try a little at a time to see if it bothers you.

Eggplant is spongy when raw and you really don’t want to eat it that way.

It’s perfect for grilling & roasting. It just tastes so good with some balsamic vinager, olive oil, salt & pepper then put on the grill or in the oven with other veggies & cooked til tender.

You can also get delicious eggplant parmesean in your grocers freezer or your local Italian resteraunt.

At the store try Michael Angelos brand. It’s really good to split the single entree between two people as a side dish, or a meal for one.

They also have a large family size for families.

Super Cell Protection

Eggplant contains important phytonutrients for cell (especially brain cell) protection and the skin contains nasunin.

Nasunin is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage. In animal studies, nasunin has been found to protect the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes. (health benefits continue below video)

The fiber content of eggplant is high and part of how it sucks up fat and cholesterol like a sponge.

Even eating eggplant parmisean, which is fried, you’ll still lose weight if you’re overweight and you eat eggplant for two or three meals a week.

Depending on your diet on a whole, you can actually lose a couple of pounds a week (don’t forget to eat the skin too).

You can eat your roasted or grilled eggplant with rice, as part of a salad, a roasted veggie medley. It’s awesome in so many ways.

In addition to all the high health intensive nutrients, eggplant also has all kinds of vitamins & minerals, including vit K, which few of us get enough of in our diet.

Fight Infection

Eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants. Plants form such compounds to protect themselves against oxidative stress from exposure to the elements, as well as from infection by bacteria and fungi.

Heart Health

When laboratory animals with high cholesterol were given eggplant juice, their blood cholesterol, the cholesterol in their artery walls and the cholesterol in their aortas (the aorta is the artery that returns blood from the heart back into circulation into the body) was significantly reduced, while the walls of their blood vessels relaxed, improving blood flow. These positive effects were likely due not only to nasunin but also to several other terpene phytonutrients in eggplant.

So grab some eggplant at the store, from the grocer’s frozen section, or your favorite Italian restaurant a few times a week & enjoy something that’s super tasty & incredibly healthful!