The eggplant is a popular and healthy super fruit. Therefore, it is widely used in Brazil, especially in cooking.
It is no wonder that eggplant is so successful in the fitness world. One of its best known “gym” versions is eggplant water. Have you heard of it?
The Healthy Minute brings an entire text on this subject. Come on?!
Contents
What is eggplant water and how to make it?
Eggplant water is a drink that, to be prepared, needs to cut the eggplant into slices and put them to marinate in mineral water for about 12 hours. After that time, this water is strained and consumed, without boiling or freezing.
This recipe became famous recently, promising to bring health benefits and help with weight loss. However, there is no scientific evidence about this drink and its benefits.
The eggplant fruit itself can bring advantages such as the reduction of bad cholesterol (LDL), in addition to having several nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals.
Eggplant peel is also rich in fiber, which is good for intestinal transit. However, consuming only eggplant water may not deliver everything it promises.
It is worth mentioning that eggplant water is different from juice (in which the vegetable is beaten in a blender with water) or even eggplant flour. This is because both juice and flour maintain, in fact, concentrations of properties and nutrients, unlike water.
Therefore, if you are consuming eggplant water for health, it is ideal that you also consume the fruit in other ways: sautéed, in salads, roasted or even in juice.
What is eggplant water for?
Eggplant water can be taken as a flavoring, since there is no confirmation that the vegetable is able to release its nutrients into the water. However, studies prove that eggplant itself can bring health benefits as an aid in reducing body weight and protecting the heart by lowering cholesterol.
Among the benefits it promotes are:
Diabetes
The great advantage of eggplant for those who have diabetes is that the fibers present in the fruit help to slow down the speed of digestion.
Thus, the absorption of glucose is slower, since they create a kind of “cover” around food, which makes it difficult for the body to absorb the sugars present in that food.
In relation to eggplant water, the effect may not be seen. This, because soaking the eggplant, even for long periods, does not cause the fibers to be released into the water.
High cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of fat present in veins that can cause them to clog, preventing blood from circulating normally.
Eggplant is widely studied due to its possible ability to control cholesterol. Although some studies indicate this effect, mainly due to its potential to inhibit the absorption of fats, there is no scientific evidence of improvement in cholesterol rates.
Despite this, the consumption of the vegetable is stimulated, mainly due to the fibers and nutrients present in it.
In addition to consuming the fruit, having a healthy diet (rich in fruits and vegetables) and exercising also helps to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) and increase good cholesterol (HDL).
Regarding eggplant water, there is also no evidence that the liquid can absorb the properties of the vegetable. Therefore, it does not have the ability to regulate cholesterol rates.
High pressure
The high pressure , also called hypertension, is a condition in which the heart pumps blood more strongly through the veins and arteries, which increases the body pressure.
The big problem with this is that our hearts also get tired. This increase in intensity is not harmful if it happens once in a while, because the organ is able to recover.
But people with high blood pressure often have this arrhythmia, which makes the heart more and more overloaded, until it simply goes off ( infarction ) or stops beating (sudden death).
Therefore, those who have hypertension have to take care of the heart. This means exercising and eating healthy foods.
An example of a healthy habit for these people is the consumption of eggplant. This is because it contains some nutrients such as potassium and vitamin E that prevent this cardiac lack of control, in addition to polyphenols or phenolic compounds (which are substances present in vegetables and have the ability to control pressure).
However, soaking the eggplant does not cause the water to acquire nutrients and properties at a significant level to promote this action.
How to drink eggplant water?
To prepare the drink, just have 1 large raw eggplant and sanitized, 1L of drinking water and a little patience. Take the eggplant and cut into medium slices. Then place them in the filtered water and let it sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
12 hours? That’s right, here that patience will be needed. A nice tip is to make the recipe before bed and let the water marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Thus, upon waking up, your drink will be ready to be consumed. You can strain it or not, it is up to whoever is taking it.
Then, take your first glass on an empty stomach. The rest of the liquid, you should take throughout the day, giving preference to ingest it between meals.
Some people prefer not to consume eggplant water because of the taste.
In these cases, you can add other ingredients before consuming the drink:
With ginger
The ginger is a thermogenic food, it means that he is able to slightly increase body temperature and speed up metabolism.
Therefore, the digestion process of this ingredient requires that a greater amount of calories be burned, which contributes to a slight decrease in body weight, provided it is combined with other eating habits.
In addition to helping with weight loss, this ingredient also allows you to taste the eggplant water, making it more pleasant to consume.
With lemon
Lemon is a very popular ingredient that can be easily found in all regions of Brazil.
Among its benefits is improved digestion.
This is because it stimulates the production of bile, a fluid produced by the liver, which acts in the breakdown of fatty foods, making them easier to be digested.
So, it is a positive attitude to taste your eggplant water with this ingredient. In addition to getting tastier, it will also have its effects enhanced.
With orange
Orange is a fruit rich in many nutrients (such as vitamin C) and mainly in water.
This gives it the diuretic property, contributing to the elimination of liquids that cause swelling.
Of course, this popular delicacy can also be added to eggplant water, making it tastier.
Why does eggplant water get thin?
As stated before, there is no research that proves that eggplant water helps with weight loss. Eggplant itself can help reduce weight because it contains fiber. Thus, it promotes satiety, preventing you from eating too much in the next meals.
Eggplant water can be an ally in reducing bloating and good bowel function, since fluid intake is essential for this. That is, it is not necessarily eggplant water, but hydration to promote this effect.
There are no studies that prove that eggplant water can bring benefits. What is known so far that is the fruit can help with weight loss and healthy eating.
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