At one time it was believed that eating eggplant would make a person go mad. And the ancient Persians believed eating this vegetable was responsible for health problems, including pimples and epilepsy. But eggplant is in fact a nutritious choice on its own or a good replacement for meat or poultry in menus. It is more commonly found in Asian and Indian dishes.
Origin
Eggplants are believed to originate from India and spread through the world due to trade routes. They are called aubergines in England but became known as eggplants when a British-colonized part of India started eating a smaller white, goose egg-size variety that became popular in the West in the 1500s. Currently in the United States eggplants are grown in California, Florida, Georgia. All of these states except for North Carolina are able to produce eggplant year round.
Family
Eggplant is in the nightshade family that includes tomatoes, potatoes and hot peppers. This plant is safe to eat, but cooking is recommended to remove any toxic solanine in it. The vegetable is actually a fruit, like tomatoes, and comes in a variety of colors. They are typically a deep purple but also come in white, green and striped according to the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
Calories
Eggplants are a great choice to substitute for meat or on their own as they are a low-calorie food. One fifth of an average size eggplant contains approximately 20 calories. It is a non-fat, zero-cholesterol, zero-sodium food.
A common way to prepare eggplant is the Italian dish eggplant Parmigiana. Comparing Olive Garden's Eggplant to Chicken Parmigiana, the eggplant dish contains 240 fewer calories, 14 fewer grams of total fat with 4 g less of saturated fat. Sodium shows the largest difference, with the eggplant dish containing 1480 fewer mg than the chicken meal.
Minerals and Vitamins
Since the serving size for eggplant is small, the nutrient quantities seem small, too, but eating a whole or even half of an eggplant will provide decent amounts of protein, vitamin C, iron and fiber. Eggplant is also a good source of folic acid and potassium. Eggplant is mainly composed of fiber. Eating a whole eggplant will provide approximately 60 percent of your body's daily fiber need.
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