Zucchini - Description, Calorie Content, Useful Properties, Nutritional Value

The ratio of BJU in the product

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Description

Zucchini is an annual herb of the Pumpkin family, a subspecies of the common pumpkin. Outwardly, it is an oblong cylindrical zucchini. This green-fruited vegetable has a more tender pulp, which has a watery, mild taste, and the skin does not coarsen too quickly, like its fellow zucchini. Therefore, in zucchini, the period of technical ripeness is extended, and its useful properties and nutritional qualities remain longer. The skin color can be yellow, dark or pale green. Young fruits up to 15 cm in size can be safely consumed raw along with the peel. It is believed that these fruits are the most delicious and valuable. Larger fruits have a coarser flesh and a firmer rind.

The plant is a compact shrub that can be grown even on a balcony. Leaves are thornless, slightly pubescent. The plant forms mainly flowers of the female genus, therefore, its yield is higher. In addition, zucchini is an early ripening vegetable. Ripe fruits keep well and can easily lie at room temperature until the next harvest.

History

Zucchini have been known in America since ancient times. Archaeologists have found confirmation of this. In this country, zucchini was grown as early as the 3rd millennium BC, however, local residents for a long time considered the fruits of the plant inedible and ate only its seeds.

In the 16th century, from the New World, along with other curiosities, zucchini came to Europe. Initially, people did not even imagine that its fruits could be eaten, and was used as an ornamental plant, growing in botanical gardens, but its flowers were considered edible. In the 18th century in Italy, the fruits of zucchini began to be eaten and to this day it is difficult to imagine Mediterranean cuisine without zucchini and zucchini.

Useful properties of zucchini

Due to its beneficial properties, marrow is simply an irreplaceable product for the treatment, prevention and recovery of the human body. Zucchini improves the secretory and motor functions of the intestines and stomach, activates the digestion processes.

Due to the high content of ascorbic acid, zucchini has general tonic properties, and the pectin substances that make up it contribute to the easy digestibility of the plant's fruits. In addition, zucchini fruits have a diuretic effect, remove excess water, sodium salts, heavy metals and toxins from the body, so squash caviar is very useful for gout, urolithiasis, nephritis, chronic pyelonephritis and metabolic disorders.

It is useful to eat zucchini dishes for atherosclerosis, hepatitis, hypertension, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis.

Because zucchini is low in fiber, it is a great food for patients who have recently had bowel or stomach surgery. It will also be useful to follow a squash diet for people recovering from poisoning. And due to its low calorie content, zucchini will be very useful for people seeking to lose body weight. There are even interesting squash diets made especially for obese people.

Thanks to its beneficial properties, regular consumption of zucchini improves the condition of skin, nails and hair, as well as teeth and vision.

Zucchini are useful for cardiovascular diseases, duodenal ulcer, anemia. People who have zucchini in their diet remain healthy, easy-going and mobile until old age. Zucchini is good for everyone: for children, adults, the elderly, nursing mothers.

Composition and calorie content of zucchini

100 g of zucchini contains 92.7 g of water, 2.7 g of proteins, 1.1 g of fiber, 1.05 g of ash, 2 g of carbohydrates, 0.4 g of fat; vitamins: beta-carotene (A), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (PP), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), ascorbic acid (C); macronutrients: phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium; trace elements: zinc, manganese, selenium, copper, iron.

The calorie content of zucchini is 21 kcal per 100 g of product.

Zucchini in cooking

When used in cooking, zucchini is predominantly heat treated. They are stewed along with meat and vegetables, fried, used as a side dish for potato or rice dishes. They are especially delicious when fried with mayonnaise and garlic sauce. Stewed zucchini is used to prepare a delicious appetizer called squash caviar. As already mentioned above, young, not yet fully ripe fruits of the plant can be eaten raw, finely chopped or grated.

Zucchini pancakes are made from finely grated fruits, which have a delicate piquant taste. And very small fruits are fried whole with the peel - a very unusual and tasty dish is obtained. Everyone knows such a popular dish as stuffed zucchini. They are also canned and pickled as part of vegetable salads or separately. They even make jam from zucchini.

Zucchini goes well with parmesan and thyme. Due to its easy digestibility and low calorie content, zucchini can be consumed at least every day for children and adults. They are especially useful in the daily diet of people with digestive problems. Zucchini contains a large amount of pure water, which helps to reduce swelling by removing excess fluid from the body.

Zucchini should not be cooked for too long, otherwise they will lose not only their unique taste, but also their useful qualities.

Contraindications

Zucchini is contraindicated in kidney disease associated with impaired potassium excretion from the body.

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