Eggplant Parmesan, also known by its Italian name of parmigiana di melanzane, is typically made from oven-baked or pan-fried breaded eggplant cutlets smothered in tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. This dish originated in southern Italy, although when served in Italy, eggplant Parmesan typically includes slices of hard-boiled egg.
Calories and Fat
Eggplant Parmesan serves up 133 to 160 calories per 5 oz. serving. To bring this into the typical healthy meal range -- 300 to 600 calories, depending on your calorie requirements -- consider serving it with a hearty side salad or a whole grain bread roll. One portion of this dish uses up 6 to 8 g of the daily recommended allotment of 44 to 78 g. Three grams of this fat is saturated, a type of fat often referred to as "bad" fat. Limit your consumption of saturated fat to 15 g or less per day; ingesting too much saturated fat can increase your risk of heart disease.
Protein and Carbohydrates
While eggplant lends a meaty quality to eggplant Parmesan, it provides less protein than meat. Each 5 oz. serving of eggplant Parmesan has 7 to 9 g of protein, an amount that contributes to but does not meet your daily protein needs of 46 to 56 g. One portion of this dish contains 13 to 16 g of carbohydrates, accounting for 10 to 12.3 percent of the 130 g your meal plan should include every day. Some of the carbs in eggplant Parmesan take the form of fiber, a carbohydrate that does not break down for energy use -- instead, fiber helps keep your digestion system functioning smoothly. A serving provides 3 g.
Vitamins and Minerals
Including eggplant Parmesan in your diet gives you a big boost of vitamin A, satisfying 25 to 29 percent of the amount you require each day. This vitamin provides a variety of eye benefits, but Ian Marber, a nutrition consultant recommends boosting your intake of vitamin A, among other nutrients, before you travel as a way of warding off illnesses and infections that can result when you fly on a plane; vitamin A helps produce antibodies. You will also get up to 17 percent of the daily recommended intake of calcium and 10 to 13 percent of the vitamin C you need daily in each portion of eggplant Parmesan.
Considerations
Eggplant Parmesan can contain quite a bit of sodium -- up to 417 mg per portion, or nearly 1/3 of the recommended limit of 1,500 mg per day. The average American consumes more than twice this amount, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and an article in the January 2011 issue of "Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association" indicates that Americans could decrease the cost of treating heart disease by $24 billion per year if more effort were made to reduce sodium consumption to 1,200 mg every day.
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