TYLER TOLMAN BLOG
Zucchini | Health Benefits & Ways to Use It by Coach Britelle Humfrey
Zucchini | Health Benefits & Ways to Use It by Coach Britelle Humfrey
Zucchini has to be one of my favourite vegetables. Not only because it is incredibly versatile and easy to grow, but it has a tone of nutritional benefits. And it’s actually really yummy!
So the zucchini is part of the squash family. It grows on a vine along the ground and is super easy to grow. Trust me, if I can grow it, anybody can.
Growing your own zucchini is a great one to get the kids involved with because it doesn’t take very long before you start to get some fruit. And it best grows in the summer. So, for those of you living in the land of down under, like me, January-February is a perfect time to plant some.
Botanically classified as a fruit because it has so many seeds through the middle. Zucchini can range in colour from a deep yellow to a dark green. And although the traditional green variety is the most common one, don’t discount the yellow for a great addition to your diet, and it’s a beautiful colour to spark up some salads.
Zucchini is also known as baby marrow, gourd and courgette, which in typically French fashion sound much nicer than the other alternatives.
Zucchini Goodness
What are some of the health benefits of including this little beauty into your diet? Zucchinis are rich in several vitamins and minerals, and just one single cup provides us with 40% of our daily recommended vitamin A.
It also provides us with manganese, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and loads of others.
Now, interestingly, a cooked zucchini provides more vitamin A than raw. But a raw zucchini provides more vitamin C than cooked. So be sure to include both cooked and raw in your diet.
Rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, which are great for your eyes, skin, and your heart. It’s even said to offer protection against some cancers, such as prostate cancer. And what’s more, is the skin that has the highest level of these. So never peel a zucchini!
Zucchini can provide healthy digestion for a couple reasons…
1. It has a high water content, so it helps to hydrate us.
2. Contains soluble and insoluble fibre, so it’s the perfect veggie to break a fast with if sweet fruits aren’t grabbing you at the end of the fast.
The are also excellent for promoting bone health, thyroid function, slowing the risk of heart disease and strengthening our vision. So well worth including in your diet.
Delicious and an All-rounder
So how best could you include this versatile little beauty into your diet? And I say ‘versatile’, because it truly has a limitless number of uses.
You can grate it or slice it and add it to salads raw. Or you can roast chunks for adding to your salad. Zucchini is great added to stir-fries, curries, stews…pretty much any cooked dish. I’ve even sliced it lengthways and used them as a lasagna sheet replacement (eggplant is good for this also).
Make zucchini fritters!! I tell you, you will never regret doing that… Throw in a whole lot of grated zucchini, a tiny bit of good flour, some corn, onion and garlic. Amazing!
You can grill it on the BBQ, so if you cut it lengthways into thick slices, add a bit of olive oil and lemon, and you have a zucchini steak.
Another method is slicing it in half, long-ways, take out the seeds and mix that up with a whole lot of other goodness, stuff it back into the zucchini shell, stick it under the grill and you have a stuffed zucchini sub.
I’m sure everyone remembers Nanna’s zucchini slice. My Nan made the best zucchini slice – so good! Make sure you try one.
I actually add zucchini to many of my juices, even sweet juices, because it has such a high water content it means I get a really good return for my produce. It also means I’m getting those extra vitamins and minerals that zucchinis have. I’ve even been known to add small chunks into a smoothie, which is a great way to get it into your kids.
If you really want to get creative and fancy in the kitchen, especially if you are growing them, use the zucchini flowers. You can stuff them. They are not only really yummy, but they look really pretty on a plate too.
I have two very special ways I love to use zucchini…
1. I will admit it. I am a chip freak. I love my chips! I bought an air-fryer for the sole reason of wanting to be able to cook chips without too much oil. To my pleasant surprise, zucchini in the air-fryer is really delicious, and I have made them into chips. I cut them into chip-size, add tiny bits of oil, salt, pepper and maybe some herbs to spice it up a bit. You could also do them in the oven, I’m sure they would be just as awesome.
2. My other favourite is zoodles. Using a ‘Zoodler’, put your zucchini in and twist it to make the long ‘noodle’ like zucchini strips. These are great alternative to pasta, and a great way to get the kids involved. I’ve mixed zoodles with rice noodles, or added them raw to a salad.
There you have it.
Zucchinis are one of my favourite, most versatile fruits that mother nature has to offer us. It is full of vitamins and minerals, and it’s delicious and can be used in so many ways and easy to grow!!
And that brings us to the end of our food alphabet series (full directory below). What a journey we have been on. It’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of it with you and I’m really looking forward to seeing you in the next series.
If you’ve missed out on some of these blogs, or need a recap, here is our Whole Food A-Z blogs:
Avocado Benefits: Health, Skin, Nutrition Facts
Broccoli | A Treatment for Cancer
Celery Health Benefits You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Dandelion Tea | Kills Cancer Cells
Elderberries | Health Benefits, Uses, and Effectiveness
What is Fennel? Benefits, Nutrition and Uses
Unbelievable Health Benefits of Garlic & Ginger
Healing Herbs | Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Peppermint
Natural Immune System Boosters
Jackfruit | Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
Health Benefits Of Kidney Beans
Lemons | Nutrition, Tips & Uses
Mushrooms And Seaweed For Thyroid Health
Nuts | Natural Ways To Boost Men’s Libido
Oranges | Nutrition, Recipes & Oils
Impressive Health Benefits Of Pineapple
Quercetin | Antioxidant Benefits Found in Fruits and Vegetables
Root Vegetables | Beetroot, Carrots, Parsnips, Turnips & Yams
Shilajit | Ayurvedic Herb | Uses & Benefits
Turmeric For Inflammation & Depression
Whole Foods to Eat for a Healthy Uterus
The Healing Power of your Voice
Watermelon | Facts, Benefits & Recipe
Food Additives to Cross (X) Off Your Menu
Ylang Ylang | Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses
Thanks for reading!
