Did you know? Like tomato, brinjal is actually a fruit, commonly used like a veggie! It belongs to the family of Solanaceae, also commonly known as nightshades, which are cousins of potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers! This common veggie is very beneficial to your health, mainly due to its antioxidant and phytochemical content. Let’s find out more about its impressive health benefits, and some tasty ways to consume it.
Baingan or Brinjal is also called Eggplant and Aubergine. Did you know? It is actually a fruit which is commonly used as a cooked vegetable. Brinjal belongs to the family of Solanaceae, also commonly known as nightshades, and are cousins of potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers. Here are some impressive benefits of consuming Brinjal due to its antioxidant and phytochemical contents.
7 Super Benefits of Brinjal
1. Good for Diabetics
Brinjal has a Glycemic Index of 15 which is low. Glycemic Index are for foods you eat, ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they digest and raise your blood sugar or glucose levels. Foods rank from 0 to 50 are low GI, 51 to 69 are medium and 70 to 100 are high.
Foods that are high in GI are not suitable for weight loss and diabetics. Foods like Brinjal have a low GI and hence don't spike your glucose level as they are absorbed slowly. Low carb recipe like Baingan Bhaja can be enjoyed by diabetics.
2. Great for weight loss
Brinjal is low in calories. A cup of chopped brinjal contains only 30 calories and can help you in managing your weight. It contains negligible amount of fats and provides bulk to your diet and thus promotes satiety helping you to eat lesser in between meals. Therefore, it promotes weight loss. Hyderabadi Baingan Subzi is a great low calorie dish to have for Lunch or dinner if you’re trying to lose weight.
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3. High in Fibre
Brinjals are a very good source of fibre. Add a variety of fruits and vegetables in your diet for regular bowel movements. Fibre acts as a laxative and will prevent or treat constipation. Fibre also reduces the fat absorption and helps to maintain weight. It also prevents blood glucose from shooting up and is good for diabetics.
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4. Good for Blood
Brinjals are rich in folate, which is required for producing Red Blood Cells (RBC’s) and also helps to prevent anaemia. 1 cup of chopped brinjal leaves give 42.84 mcg of folate which is 21.42% of Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
It is good to have before and during pregnancy as the requirements increase. It prevents neural tube defects (NTD’s) in the growing fetus.
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5. Low sodium
Brinjals contain negligible amount of sodium therefore they are safe to be consumed by hypertensives. Low sodium recipes include Baingan Bharta, Smoked Brinjal and Pumpkin Dip, Baingan Chutney and Brinjal Rice.
6. Antioxidants
Brinjal contains phytonutrients which include phenolic compounds. These compounds act as antioxidants. Two such phytonutrients are chlorogenic acid and nasunin which are potent antioxidants and thus prevents formation of free radicals, thereby protecting cell membranes from damage.
Eggplants also contain anthocyanins which have an antioxidant activity. Nasunin – an anthocynin has found to be protective against lipid peroxidation. Research also suggests that nasunin is a potent free radical scavenger (1) (2).
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7. Cancer
The compound glycoalkaloids produced by brinjals have been associated with an inhibition of skin cancers in humans (3). The active compound nasunin prevents angiogenesis thereby prevents from cancer (4).
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Nutrition Information for Baingan, Brinjal
Nutritional Information for Cup of chopped Brinjals
One Cup of chopped Brinjals is 126 grams.
RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance.
30 Calories
1.76 grams of Protein
5 grams of Carbs
0.37 grams of Fat
15.12 mg Vitamin C = 37.8% of RDA (about 40 mg)
7.93 grams of Fibre = 31.72% of RDA (about 25 grams)
42.84 mcg of Folic Acid = 21.42% of RDA (about 200 mcg)
0.13 mg of Vitamin B2, Riboflavin = 11.81% of RDA (about 1.1 mg)
12.97 mcg of Vitamin K = 10.80% of RDA (about 120 mcg)
59.22 mg of Phosphorus (P) = 9.87% of RDA (about 600 mg)
1.13 mg of Vitamin B3, Niacin = 9.41% of RDA (about 12 mg)
18.90 mg of Magnesium (Mg) = 5.40% of RDA (about 350 mg)
252.0 mg of Potassium (K) = 5.36% of RDA (about 4,700 mg)
22.68 mg of Calcium (Ca) = 3.78% of RDA (about 600 mg)
0.06 mg of Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine = 3.0% of RDA (about 2 mg)
0.05 mg of Vitamin B1, Thiamine = 2.95% of RDA (about 1.2 to 1.5 mg)
0.25 mg of Zinc (Zn) = 2.27% of RDA (about 10 to 12 mg)
0.47 mg of Iron (Fe) = 2.23% of RDA (about 21 mg)
93.24 mcg of Vitamin A = 1.94% of RDA (about 4800 mcg)
0.10 mg Vitamin E = 0.50% of RDA (about 20 mg)
3.78 mg of Sodium (Na) = 0.19% of RDA (about 1902 mg)
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6 healthy brinjal recipes.
Trying to lose weight? Try our recipe for this Bharvan Baingan as it is low in calories and fat prepared without using oil and is a lovely option for weight watchers. Top up your Calcium levels with Baingan Methi ki Subzi, it is a dry and flavourful subzi with great taste.
You can add baingan to khichdi like how we used in or recipe for Tarkari Khichdi to increase the fibre and folic acid content. Or add brinjals to Sambar to give it a healthy touch.
If you're a fan of crepes, then you can also add brinjal as a stuffing to them, we have a healthy recipe of Oatmeal and Spinach Crepes that is loaded with veggies to add on to the antioxidant and fibre content.
Do try all our 258 baingan recipes from our website and the healthy brinjal recipes below.
Happy Cooking!