How healthy is zucchini?

Zucchini can help lower inflammation, support clearer vision and promote metabolic health. Photo / 123rf

The culinary chameleon has some surprising benefits.

With its mild flavour and high water content, zucchini may not seem like a nutritional standout. But this summer fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) can help lower inflammation, support clearer vision and promote metabolic health.

Here’s a look at all that zucchini has to offer.

It contains powerful antioxidants

For centuries, zucchini has been used in traditional medicine because of its anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Today, scientists link these benefits to the antioxidants in zucchini, including vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect cells from free radical damage and enhance immune function. Half a medium zucchini contains about 15mg of vitamin C, which is nearly 20% of the daily recommended amount for adults.

Beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are also carotenoids, pigments that give zucchini its bright green skin. Carotenoids can help regulate the production of inflammatory cytokines, said Taylor Wallace, a food scientist and adjunct clinical associate professor at George Washington University. Cytokines act as chemical messengers in the immune system, signalling cells to respond to infection or injury. At healthy levels, cytokines keep us from getting sick, but too many or too few can drive excess inflammation and lead to diseases like cancer, Wallace explained.

While dark, leafy greens and berries are richer in carotenoids and other antioxidants, zucchini’s advantage lies in its versatility. It can be prepared in all sorts of ways, and its mild taste makes it an easy filler or substitute ingredient (think “zoodles”) that packs a nutritional punch.

Zucchini may not be a particularly “glamorous vegetable,” but it’s inexpensive to buy and easy to grow yourself, added Christopher Gardner, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Centre.

It’s good for your vision

Lutein and zeaxanthin are essential for eye health. They build up in a part of the eye called the macula and help protect eye cells from damage. Over time, these nutrients can help keep vision sharp and stave off age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in older adults.

One cup of zucchini contains a little over 2mg of lutein and zeaxanthin, which is about 17% of what experts recommend daily.

It can help keep blood pressure in check

For the cells in your body to function properly, two minerals need to stay in balance: potassium and sodium. Unfortunately, “almost no one” gets enough potassium, Wallace said. And almost everyone gets too much sodium.

Potassium is key to managing blood pressure and offsetting the effects of too much sodium, said Maya Vadiveloo, a dietitian and associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. Half a medium zucchini contains about 4% of the recommended daily amount, which is similar to what you’d find in half a banana.

Zucchini fills you up, but it isn’t calorie-dense

In addition to being 95% water, zucchini is low in sugar, calories and fat. Research suggests that energy density – the number of calories per unit of food weight – shapes how much we eat, how satiated we feel and our long-term health. The lower the calories-to-volume ratio, the better. Regularly eating water-rich, lower-energy-density foods can help you feel full and curb the risk of chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes.

“Bulking up your plate with zucchini or other nonstarchy vegetables is a great way to reduce how much you’re eating without feeling like you’re depriving yourself,” Vadiveloo said.

What’s the best way to eat zucchini?

Any form – raw, grilled, puréed, roasted, sauteed, spiralised – is healthy, experts said, though there are a few things to keep in mind.

Don’t peel zucchini’s verdant skin, because it’s packed with nutrients. Heat can degrade some important compounds, like vitamin C. And the lutein and zeaxanthin in zucchini are fat-soluble, so they’re best absorbed with a little olive oil.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Written by: Alexandra Pattillo

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