BENEFITS OF CONSUMING GARDEN EGGS

Garden eggs, also known as aubergines or eggplant, are mostly available in a wide range of colours: jade green, lavender, deep purple, yellow and orange. In Ghana and several other places, garden eggs are very well known for their chief role in soups and some vegetable stews.

They contain vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. But beyond these nutrients present, garden eggs also offer some health benefits.

Benefits of garden eggs

Garden eggs are recommended for people who have type-2 diabetes. This is because of the high fibre, low calories and low fat content of garden eggs. This combination of properties allows this fruit to help control your blood sugar level. The high fibre slows down your body’s absorption of sugar from food, reducing the risk associated with eating low fibre high calorie foods where your blood sugar level spikes. The slow rate of sugar uptake is safe, especially for diabetics and also people who are managing their body weights.

This fruit is also a rich source of potassium which when taken in combination with low sodium intake have been found to help control blood pressure. Further, the antioxidant, nasunin, and other phytochemicals present in garden eggs are known to have a lowering effect on the level of low density lipoproteins (LDL) in the body. These low density lipoproteins are what are known as bad cholesterol. Having a high LDL level is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. But due to the presence of the potassium, nasunin and the other phytochemicals, garden eggs are able to help reduce risk for cardiovascular diseases.

In addition to all health benefits mentioned, garden eggs also contain a good amount of iron and copper which are very important components of red blood cells. So these fruits are also able to help combat anaemia.

In spite of all the benefits, how safe is it to eat garden eggs? Garden eggs are considerably high in oxalate, a chemical which binds to nutrients and prevents them from being absorbed. It is therefore important to eat this fruit in moderation in order to prevent the effects of nutrient deficiency caused by the oxalate. Also, individuals who have oxalate-containing kidney stones are cautioned to avoid garden eggs.