Looking for a low-cal, delicious food that boosts your health, too? Then reach for zucchini!
The popular squash is tasty in both main and side dishes – and it may even whittle your waistline, experts say.
Here are the top health benefits of zucchini and why you’ll want to add it to your diet today.
1. It’s Anti-Aging
Yes – really! Eating foods like zucchini may actually make you look younger in the long run.
When we are exposed to pollution, excessive sun radiation, or habits such as too little sleep, toxins known as free radicals build up. The body relies on antioxidants such as Vitamin C to round up these free radicals and safely remove them.
One medium zucchini contains more than half the adult recommended daily value of Vitamin C. This means healthier cells, faster cell turnover, and fresher, younger, brighter skin. Now that’s one beautiful health benefit!
2. It’s Anti-Inflammatory
If you live with an inflammatory issue such as arthritis, lupus or multiple sclerosis (MS), you know that your good days are those when inflammation is down. And while there are medications to reduce inflammation, some foods may boost these efforts, according to experts.
Zucchini contains plant ingredients such as lutein, beta carotene, zeaxanthin and dehydroascorbic acid. These substances appear to reduce inflammation and make patients feel better.
To add to this benefit, zucchini may help prevent such diseases from occurring in the first place by keeping body inflammation down day by day. Include zucchini in your diet plan for superior health benefits and a more active future.
3. It Protects Your Heart
Amazingly, zucchini may help prevent heart attack and stroke, according to research.
Again, it’s Vitamin C to the rescue: this powerful vitamin has been called “as healthy to your heart as walking” and helps lower cholesterol.
Now that’s one health benefit that does your heart good!
4. It Helps You Lose Weight
You’ve probably heard that zucchini – including delicious spiralized “zoodles” – can help you shed excess pounds. And while you may have assumed that’s because it’s low-calorie (it is!), there’s another element.
Zucchini is low in carbohydrates – just 6 grams per medium veggie – and may help control your appetite. Foods high in refined carbs have been shown to increase hunger. Less refined foods have the opposite effect, so you feel less hungry later in the day.
Eat zucchini for the health benefits AND as a weight loss strategy, experts advise.
It Helps Ease Depression
Zucchini contains about 8% of your RDV for magnesium. This important mineral performs a number of functions on the body. Interestingly, one of these effects is that it can lift your mood and help ease symptoms of depression.
Depression is a serious illness that warrants a trip to the doctor, but because a deficiency of the mineral has been linked to anxiety and depression, making sure to get plenty in your diet is important. Eat zucchini to help keep your mood the best it can be.
The five amazing health benefits of zucchini we’ve listed above make this food ideal for nearly any health plan. A medium zucchini has just 30 calories, 6 grams of carbohydrate and packs vitamins and minerals galore – so eat up and enjoy good health today!
