The ubiquitous brinjal (baingan or eggplant) is splendid in its texture, color and richness of essential minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron. It is the iron content that causes its color change when exposed to air, like an apple. It is also rich in sodium, proteins, Vitamin A and dietary fiber, which makes it very healthy. Its deep purple color and glossy looks have made it a favorite of kings and queens through the ages. Though there are thousands of varieties available, they generally share the spongy texture and the unique flavor along with the slight twang of bitterness.
The Importance of Nasunin
Apart from all the essential minerals and vitamins, the brinjal also contains phytonutrients which are phenolic compounds like caffeic and chlorogenic acids; it also has flavonoids like nasunin which helps in the destruction of free radicals as it is an anti oxidant powerhouse. Nasunin has been proved to prevent cell damage caused by free radicals as it protects the lipids in the membranes of the cells. These cell membranes that are made of lipids are the carriers of vital information for each brain cell and they are protected from damage by such free radicals by the nasunin in the brinjal.
Plants form phenolic compounds like nasunin to protect themselves from oxidative stress resulting from bacterial and fungal infections. Chlorogenic acid, the most potent anti oxidant that fights free radicals in predominantly present in brinjals and is credited with anti microbial, anti LDL, anti mutagenic and anti viral tendencies.
The Role of Nasunin in Chelating Iron
The nasunin in the brinjal is not only rich in essential minerals and a powerful anti oxidant, but also is an iron chelator. Although iron is essential for the regular functioning of the various organs, too much iron can cause an upsurge in the free radicals production. In case of menstruating women the regular blood loss during the menstrual cycle prevents them from facing problems caused by excess iron in the system. But in the case of men and menopausal women, this can pose a serious health risk. Nasunin solves this problem by chelating the iron in our systems and so prevents free radicals forming and thereby also helps in keeping the blood cholesterol from peroxidation; this also helps to prevent rheumatoid arthritis by stopping the free radicals from causing damage in the joints.
The Other Health Benefits
In a study conducted by the ARS, it was found that apart from the powerhouse that is chlorogenic acid, the brinjal varieties contain 13 phenolic compounds which are anti oxidants, and very beneficial to human health. As the brinjal has high fiber content, it helps relieve constipation and also helps to prevent hemorrhoids and colitis. It has very few calories and absolutely no fat and so during the digestion process, it absorbs fat while passing through the system and thereby helps in weight loss. The Ayurveda advocates the brinjal (baingan) cooked in different ways with different other ingredients to fight flatulence, congestion, clear phlegm, cure insomnia and also to improve digestion.
Brinjal - Healthy Methods of Consumption
The brinjal is native to India and so India has always been a cultivator and consumer of the brinjal for thousands of years, though the rest of the world discovered this amazing vegetable only in the last few hundred years. It is eaten across the country in a thousand different ways, some unique to every state or region. It is unmatched in its versatility; it can be smoked, baked, steamed, curried, pickled, dried and deep fried as a snack, stir fried.
However the lesser you cook the vegetable, the better it is for preserving the nutrients. The traditional method that was used to remove the bitterness involved sweating the brinjal by rubbing salt on it and letting it sit for about 30 minutes. You can also follow the South Indian practice of soaking the chopped pieces in tamarind water for about 20 minutes before cooking. This helps in preserving the color and also removing the slight bitterness caused by the nicotinoid alkaloid in the brinjal.
The brinjal is closely related to the nightshade family of plants, like the tomato, the potato and grows similar to the tomato. It contains the highest possible concentrations of nasunin and calcium and potassium amongst the plant varieties, making it truly the king of vegetables.
