Nutritional Facts of Eggplant

Although you may only be familiar with the glossy, purple, teardrop-shaped eggplant, this versatile vegetable comes in a variety of colors and shapes. If you look a little deeper at your local farmers market, you can find oval, long and slim, and melon-shaped eggplants with white, green, pink, orange, and even striped skin.

When you cut one open, you'll find meaty white flesh flecked with green or yellow and dotted with small clusters of beige seeds. If the inside of the eggplant is brown, it may have gone bad.

The eggplant is a nightshade vegetable, like potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. It originally comes from India and Asia, where it still grows wild. Eggplants made their way to Europe with the Islamic empire in the 7th and 8th centuries.

Historians believe the British coined the term eggplant during their occupation of India. Aubergine and brinjal are other names for it.

Eggplant has a rich, meaty inside that takes on a creamy consistency when you cook it. The hearty texture makes it a good stand-in for meat.

Eggplant comes in these varieties:

• Dusky or classic -- the familiar eggplant shape with shiny purple skin
• Epic -- teardrop-shaped with purple-black skin
• Black bell -- pear-shaped with glossy black skin
• Ghostbuster -- long, white, oval
• Ichiban -- long, thin, purple
• Slim Jim -- thin, bright purple
• Easter egg -- small, oval that's colored white, orange, yellow, or green

Nutrients per Serving

A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of eggplant has:

• Calories: 25
• Protein: 1 gram
• Fat: 0.2 grams
• Carbohydrates: 6 grams
• Fiber: 3 grams

A serving also has vitamins such as:

• Folate: 22 micrograms
• Vitamin A: 23 IUs
• Vitamin C: 2.2 milligrams
• Vitamin K: 3.5 micrograms

You'll get these minerals in one serving:

• Calcium: 9 milligrams
• Iron: 0.23 milligrams
• Magnesium: 14 milligrams
• Phosphorus: 24 milligrams
• Potassium: 229 milligrams

Eggplant Health Benefits

For thousands of years, eggplant has been used in traditional medicine. Practitioners of the ancient Indian system of ayurvedic medicine used white eggplant to treat diabetes and the roots to treat asthma.

While eggplant isn't the healthiest vegetable, it does provide a good source of potassium and fiber. And, with only 25 calories and less than 1 gram of fat per serving, it's a fairly guilt-free food if not soaked in oil.

Antioxidants in eggplant, such as vitamins A and C, help protect your cells from damage. It's also high in polyphenols, which are natural plant chemicals that may help cells process sugar better if you have diabetes.

Early cell-based research suggests that eggplant may protect against the type of DNA damage that leads to cancer. However, researchers must still confirm this benefit in humans.

Are There Any Risks?

Eggplant and other nightshade vegetables have the chemical solanine, which some people claim adds to inflammation and makes diseases like arthritis worse. There's no solid evidence that the small amount of solanine in eggplant worsens arthritis symptoms. But if you notice that your joint pain flares up after you eat eggplant, avoid it.

Rarely, people are allergic to eggplant. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include a rash, swelling of the face, itching, hives, and a hoarse voice.

How to Cook and Store Eggplant

Wash the eggplant and cut off both ends before cooking it. The skin is edible, but if you find it too chewy, you should remove it. Eggplant is best food.

Eggplant has a naturally bitter taste. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes after being sprinkled with salt. Some of the bitterness will be drawn out by the salt. It will also keep the eggplant from absorbing too much oil and turning greasy while cooking. Before cooking, rinse off the salt.

Eggplant can be roasted, baked, steamed, or sautéed. When cut up, it adds a nice flavor to curries and soups. And, of course, eggplant parmesan is a favorite, but keep in mind that rolling the eggplant in breadcrumbs and frying it in oil will add calories and fat. Bake the eggplant instead of frying it for a lighter version.

To bake an entire eggplant, pierce the skin with a fork in the same way you would a baked potato. After about 30 minutes, scoop out the insides and stuff the eggplant, or mash the pulp into a soup, stew, or dip.

Wait until you're ready to cook an eggplant before cutting it. These vegetables deteriorate quickly. Instead, place it in the refrigerator, where it can be safely stored for up to a week.

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