When we talk about seasonal vegetables, the aubergine undoubtedly occupies a privileged position on the podium during this time of the year.
In addition to being an essential part of the Mediterranean diet due to the multiple ways it can be cooked and consumed, aubergines have multiple properties that make them a highly healthy food due to their high fibre, water and mineral content, as well as vitamins.
What are the benefits of including aubergines in our diet?
Fruit and vegetables have beneficial properties for our health. However, they are often spoken of in a generic way without taking into account the properties that each product or variety offers for our organism.
Today we are going to offer you many more reasons why aubergine should be one of the star products on your tables.
- Ideal if you want to lose some weight
Apart from its mild flavour and all the possibilities it offers in combination with other products, aubergines are made up of a high percentage of water (around 90%) and fibre, which makes it a very diuretic food, helping to eliminate liquids from our body.
It is also a food with satiating properties.
- Helps fight cholesterol
The high fibre content of aubergines helps to maintain and control cholesterol levels, giving a plus in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
- Improves the digestive process
Among the properties found in the consumption of this vegetable is the improvement of the state of the intestinal flora, which favours the digestive process.
- Maintains blood sugar levels
Aubergine, being low in carbohydrates but high in fibre, reduces the absorption of sugar from other foods, helping to keep it under control.
It is therefore a highly recommended vegetable for people suffering from diabetes.
- Prevent the onset of bone and muscle ailments
Aubergines contain folic acid, vitamins and minerals. These properties help to prevent the appearance of ailments in the bones and muscles, especially in people of a certain age.
- Strengthens the nervous system and enhances the memory
Both the presence of vitamins (B6 and B1) and magnesium provide properties that strengthen our nervous system, which also helps to maintain an optimal state of mind.
In addition, because they contain antioxidants that increase blood flow to the brain, they are recommended to improve our brain capacity.
- Recommended during pregnancy
Aubergines contain vitamin E, thus favouring the correct development of the baby. For this reason, its consumption is recommended from the first months of pregnancy.
It also prevents gestational diabetes during pregnancy and partly relieves pregnancy-related nausea.
Iberiana, aubergines in season throughout the year
As you have read so far, aubergines are a food with multiple properties for our health.
At Iberiana, in our firm commitment to always offer the best products, we alternate different crops in Spain and Italy, countries that have the best conditions of humidity and hours of sunshine for its cultivation, throughout the year to ensure that we can enjoy this product in its different varieties all year round.
Our aubergine varieties with the following:
- Japanese Aubergine
Despite their name, they are grown entirely in Spain and can be found between October and May.
They are easy to recognise by their elongated and thin shape. They contain very few seeds and have a less bitter taste than conventional aubergines.
- Aubergine Perlina
This variety comes from our growers in Italy. It is best consumed between September and April.
It is a variety whose peculiarity is its small size (8-10cm) and its sweet taste once cooked.
- Aubergine Purple
Like the Perlina, its origin is in Italy between October and June.
It stands out for its colour and darker flesh. Its flavour is slightly bitter.
- Aubergine striped
It is the most widespread crop, available all year round, either of national origin (it is grown all 12 months of the year) or from our collaborators in Italy (from September to June).
They have an elongated shape and can be found in large sizes. They are also distinguished by the light purple colour of their skin with some white stripes. When it comes to cooking, they are the meatiest.
