This vegetable absorbs a lot of oil, but it is very suitable for weight loss

There is a kind of food that is very suitable for weight loss when no oil is added, but it is a calorie bomb when oil is added. This kind of food is eggplant.

Braised eggplant, fried eggplant boxes, braised eggplant... The oil-absorbing properties of eggplant often make people worry whether it is suitable for consumption during weight loss. But in fact, as long as it is cooked correctly, eggplant can play a positive role in the weight loss process.

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Eggplant is actually very suitable for weight loss

Eggplant has a high water content, with 93% of its weight coming from water. Eggplant has only 0.1% to 0.6% fat, and low protein and carbohydrate content, so the overall calorie count is relatively low.

The calories of eggplant per 100g range from 18 to 32kcal, which is lower than most vegetables. There is still some difference in the calories of different varieties of eggplant, among which the long purple eggplant has the lowest calories, only 18kcal/100g.

Let's put it this way, eating 3 pounds of eggplant is about the same as eating a chocolate ice cream. As long as you don't soak it in oil, it's not a burden to eat.

In addition to the advantage of low calories, eggplant's other nutrients are not outstanding. For example, potassium, which is relatively prominent among vegetables, is contained in eggplant per 100g 142mg (generally higher than 200mg), but it is still a high potassium and low sodium player, which helps to stabilize blood pressure. Vitamin C, which is relatively prominent among vegetables, is not particularly reflected in eggplant. In every 100g of eggplant, there is only 5mg of vitamin C, which is about the same as the content of apples.

However, although the overall nutrition of eggplant is not high, its antioxidant capacity is very outstanding. Especially the eggplant skin, which is rich in anthocyanins and flavonoids, is beneficial for removing free radicals in the body and delaying the aging of organs. In an experiment to measure the antioxidant capacity of 21 kinds of vegetables, the overall antioxidant capacity of eggplant is the most outstanding, especially the eggplant skin. So, if you don’t mind the eggplant skin, just keep the skin when cooking eggplant~

Image source: Zhang Lixin et al., "Study on the Antioxidant Activity of Some Common Vegetables"

Why is eggplant so good at absorbing oil?

Seeing this, you may be wondering, why do foods that are obviously suitable for weight loss love to absorb oil so much?

In fact, the reason why eggplant has such a strong oil absorption property is mainly due to its special structure. Before cooking, eggplant has sufficient water and plump flesh. But when the eggplant is heated, the water in the flesh evaporates, and the remaining dietary fiber with a porous structure will form many small holes. These small holes are like sponges, which can absorb a large amount of oil, making it easy for eggplant to absorb oil during cooking.

When cooking eggplant, we try to avoid frying and other methods, because this will greatly increase the calories of eggplant. Frying eggplant will cause the eggplant to absorb a lot of oil, which will cause the calories to rise sharply.

For example, the oil absorption rate of fried eggplant can be as high as 17%. A 100-gram portion of steamed eggplant has only about 30 kcal of calories, while the same weight of fried eggplant may have hundreds of kcal of calories due to the absorption of a large amount of oil.

How to eat eggplant to help lose weight?

Although eggplant absorbs oil, its calorie intake can be effectively reduced through proper cooking methods, such as steaming, boiling and cold dressing. Here are two super delicious fat-reducing dishes certified by the author, you can try them.

1. Steamed eggplant/grilled eggplant

When steaming or baking eggplant, long eggplant is more commonly used.

1. Wash the long eggplants, cut them vertically in the middle, divide them into two, put them in the steamer, and steam them for 10 to 15 minutes after the water boils.

2. While steaming the eggplant, prepare chili rings and minced garlic, and add light soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar and a small amount of salt according to your taste.

3. Remove the eggplant from the pan, tear it into strips and let it cool. Pour the prepared seasonings and sauce into the pan, add a few drops of sesame oil and mix well.

In the same way, you can also roast eggplant and then serve it cold. However, roasted eggplant is usually roasted whole, not cut in half, otherwise the flesh of the cut surface will be roasted hard and affect the taste. The other steps are the same as steamed eggplant.

Generally speaking, grilled eggplant tastes better when it is served cold. The specialty of Xuzhou barbecue, grilled eggplant served cold, is similarly prepared, except that it is grilled over charcoal for a better flavor.

Xuzhou barbecue real shot. Source: Photo by the author

2. Pepper and Eggplant

The essence of pounded eggplant with pepper is similar to cold-mixed eggplant, but the final processing method changes from cold-mixed to pounding, pounding and pounding, and the flavor is slightly different.

In addition, the eggplant here is more suitable to be slender. The ingredients prepared are eggplant, green pepper, chili, coriander and seasoning. However, you can also add a preserved egg in it, which will make the taste more mellow.

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1. Wash the eggplant, remove the stems, cut into sections and put into the pot; wash the green pepper and cut into sections, smash the garlic and set aside, and cut the chili into pepper rings.

2. Bring water to a boil in a steamer, steam the eggplants for 10 to 15 minutes (you can also use an air fryer or oven to bake, 185°C for 15 minutes). After steaming, drain the soup from the eggplant plate and let the eggplants cool.

3. Heat a wok without or with a little oil, add the green peppers and fry until the skin is a little black (a bit like tiger skin). If you use an oven or steam fryer, you can also put the eggplants in and bake until the peppers peel.

4. Make the pepper paste: Put the garlic into the garlic mortar and mash until it becomes a paste. Then add the green pepper, eggplant, preserved egg and garlic and mash them together. If you want to eat something chewy, don't mash it too hard. Wash the coriander, chop it into small pieces and add it to the pepper paste with the chili rings. Then add half a spoonful of oyster sauce, a small amount of chicken essence, and two spoonfuls of light soy sauce for seasoning. You can add salt according to your taste.

5. Finally, add a few drops of sesame oil, or boil some pepper oil and pour it into the garlic mortar, stir well.

In fact, there are more than two delicious and fat-reducing ways to cook eggplant, such as eggplant-stuffed buns, grilled eggplant with sauce, and eggplant box with meat paste. If you want to explore more ways to eat it, you can go to the food app to learn how to cook it.

Eating eggplant raw is risky

Some people on social media platforms use the method of eating raw eggplant to lose weight, but in fact, there is no scientific basis for eating raw eggplant to lose weight. In addition, raw eggplant contains solanine, which belongs to solanine. Excessive consumption of this ingredient can easily cause poisoning (there are a lot of them in sprouted potatoes).

Image source: A social platform

Solanine is mainly found in the flesh of eggplant, so eating it raw without the skin is not very effective. Unripe eggplants have a relatively high content of solanine. Fortunately, the solanine content of mature eggplants is not high, but there is still a risk of poisoning.

Some people may say that we have the habit of eating raw eggplants, but no one has had any problems. In fact, as the old saying goes, the dose determines the toxicity. According to the toxic dose of solanine, a dose of 2-5 mg/kg body weight can produce poisoning symptoms. For an adult weighing 60 kg, consuming 120-300 mg of solanine per day will cause poisoning, and only 25 mg will make the body feel uncomfortable.

There are about 4 to 6 mg of solanine in 100 grams of purple eggplant. Eating at least one and a half long purple eggplants or two medium-sized eggplants will make you feel uncomfortable, and eating eight large eggplants will cause poisoning. Symptoms of discomfort include dry and itchy throat, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and other mild symptoms. Severe poisoning symptoms include difficulty breathing, even coma and death.

Therefore, try not to eat eggplant raw. Choose ripe eggplants and heat them for cooking. Adding some vinegar when cooking can also reduce the solanine content.

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As a common vegetable, eggplant is not only easy to obtain but also affordable. In the process of losing weight, incorporating eggplant into the diet plan can not only satisfy the needs of the taste buds but also help lose weight.

In short, although eggplant absorbs oil, as long as it is eaten correctly, combined with diet control and physical exercise, it can become a powerful helper for healthy weight loss. Find some free time and make a delicious eggplant weight loss meal to try!

References

[1]Otero,L.,Solas,M.,Sanz,P.etal.Contrastingeffectsofhigh-pressure-assistedfreezingandconventionalair-freezingoneggplanttissuemicrostructure.ZLebensmUntersForsch206,338–342(1998).https://doi.org/10.1007/s002170050269

[2]USDA.Eggplant,raw.https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169228/nutrients

[3] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[4] ZHANG Li Xin, HANG Hu, WANG Zong Hua, et al. Study on the antioxidant activity of some common vegetables [J]. 1999.

[5] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022 Edition). People’s Medical Publishing House, 2022.

[6]Wikipedia.Solanine.https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8C%84%E7%A2%B1

Planning and production

Author: Li Chun, registered nutritionist

Review丨Zhang Yu, researcher/PhD, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, national health science expert