One of the highly consumed vegetable is brinjal. This brinjal is also known by its common name Egg Plant in most countries. It belongs to family called solanaceae. In Hindi, brinjal is called as ‘Baingan’, in Tamil it is called as ‘Kathrikai’, in Telugu it is known as ‘Vankaya’ etc.
There are two types of brinjals namely Asian and Western. Many would be surprised to note that brinjals are present in different shapes, sizes and colours. There are many cooking methods like frying, steaming, boiling, roasting, baking etc but the antioxidant levels in brinjal is preserved by steaming process only. There are many nutrients present in brinjals and they are zinc, iron, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, B3 ad B6 etc.
The various health benefits of consuming brinjals are
Lowers the risk of heart diseases:
It is known that triglycerides and bad cholesterol or LDL are responsible for heart diseases in us. Intake of brinjal could lower the levels of bad cholesterol and triglycerides and thereby lowers the risk of getting heart diseases.
Blood sugar controlled:
By slowing the digestion rate and absorption of sugar in the body, the fibres present in brinjals play great roles. Our blood sugar levels are kept steady by this slow absorption. Increase in the blood sugar is prevented. The poly-phenols present in the brinjals reduce sugar absorption and increase the secretion of insulin.
Good for weight loss:
The fibre present in brinjals does tremendously in promoting fullness and satiety. As a result of that the intake of calories is reduced. This results in weight loss.
Helps in fighting cancer:
Not many know that intake of brinjals could fight cancer efficiently. There are 13 types of phenolic compounds present in brinjal and these help in fighting cancer. Nasunin is a phyto nutrient and antioxidant in brinjals and it fights cancer.
Improves our memory:
Protection of brain cell membranes from free radical damage is done by nasunin present in the brinjals. Neuro-inflammation is prevented and the flow of blood to the brain is enhanced. This results in the improvement of our memory.
Good for liver:
Protection of liver from certain toxins is possible by the antioxidants in brinjals. This has been confirmed by some research studies.
Helps in digestion:
It is superb to mention here that our digestive system is kept healthy by brinjal intake. The secretion of gastric juices is controlled by the fibres in brinjal and it increases the absorption of nutrients. It is superb to consume brinjal when we get stomach troubles.
Prevents scalp related issues in us:
There are many scalp related issues affecting us these days. Issue like dandruff, itchiness have become common. The minerals and vitamins in brinjals keep our scalp healthy and scalp related problems are prevented.