Hey, Soupologistas! Today I thought we could talk about the health benefits of aubergine. We’ve used aubergines quite a lot in our cooking recently as we’ve been ordering fruit & veg boxes that give us two aubergines every week.
I never really liked aubergines as I found them to be quite squishy, slimy and lacking in flavour. However, because of the recent lockdown/quarantine situation and not wanting to waste food, we’ve been finding delicious ways to cook with aubergines! What I’ve found is that when cooked correctly, aubergines are actually a lovely ingredient to cook with. They really do add their own unique flavour to every dish! So, I thought what better way to promote the aubergine than by doing a deep-dive into all the benefits and uses of this purple goodness!
Did you know that in North America and Australia, aubergines are called “eggplants” as the white variety of aubergines can resemble a hen’s egg? In South Asia and South Africa, the aubergine is called a “brinjal”.
Eggplant-Based Power
Aubergines are a great source of nutrients, antioxidants, and dietary fibre. They contain vitamins B1, B6, C, K, and folate. In addition to this, they contain minerals such as copper, manganese, and magnesium.
Fun facts: Aubergines are actually fruits (a berry by botanical definition). This is because they grow from flowering plants and contain seeds – similar to a tomato. In fact, aubergines are actually related to both tomatoes and potatoes and are a member of the nightshade species. They can also be green, white, or red!
Antioxidative Properties of Aubergine
Let’s start with antioxidants, and that smooth, glossy purple skin. Nasunin, the antioxidants found in the skin not only provides aubergine with their trademark purple colour, but it also provides us with multiple health benefits too.
Research conducted on the effects of nasunin suggest that it is vital to the protection of our brain cells. Specifically, they benefit the fats (lipids) in the membranes (walls) of our cells. Maintaining healthy lipids in our brain cells is particularly important since our cell membranes are largely made up of lipids. The role of lipids includes, but is not limited to, getting instructions from molecules regarding its function, as well as allowing nutrients to enter, and waste to exit. Notably, nasunin also aids the body in getting rid of excess iron which may be harmful in large amounts. Lastly, nasunin also benefits our brain health by protecting the vital fatty acids found in our brains for optimal brain function.
The many antioxidants found in aubergines help to neutralise harmful free radicals. The effect of free radicals is damaging because they have been linked to premature ageing, damaging cells and even to certain cancers. Aubergine, being part of the nightshade family (alongside carrots and sweet potato) contains a compound called solasodine rhamnosyl glycosides (SRGSs). Small scale studies on the impact of SRGs on cancer cells suggests that they could potentially kill certain cancerous cells. In addition to this, studies also indicate that SRGs might lessen the recurrence of certain kinds of cancer too.
Due to the scale of these studies, more research is needed to fully understand how aubergines can benefit our health, but it will be interesting to see how our understanding of aubergines increases over the years.
How can I incorporate Aubergines into my diet?
I want you to picture the amount of purple foods that you eat. Purple carrots? Blueberries? Purple sweet potatoes? Grapes? Red cabbage? Red onions? Plums? But how many of these do you eat regularly? How easy is it to get your hands on them? How versatile are they to cook? Enter, aubergines! I know that was a lot of questions, but aubergine can often be underrated in comparison to its colleagues of a similar hue. Aubergines are readily available, hugely versatile and can really expand your culinary prowess! Hopefully today’s blogpost has shone a new light on this often-misunderstood ingredient!
If we’ve piqued your interest, then we’ve got a selection of quick, easy, and delicious aubergine-based recipes:
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