Cucumber vs Eggplant – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing cucumber to eggplant, we picked the eggplant.

Why?

In terms of macros, eggplant has 6x the fiber, as well as slightly more carbs and protein, making it the clear winner in this category.

In the category of vitamins, cucumber has more of vitamins A, C, and K, while eggplant has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and E; an easy win for eggplant here.

When it comes to minerals, cucumber has more calcium, iron, and zinc, while eggplant has more copper, magnesium, manganese, and potassium; a marginal win for eggplant this time.

In other considerations, the two vegetables are about equal on polyphenols, here, with nothing especially noteworthy in their polyphenol profiles to set one ahead of the other. However, and it’s not yet known the mechanism of action for this one, but cucumber extract beats glucosamine and chondroitin for reducing joint inflammation, at 1/135th of the dose. So that is a point in its favor.

Still adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for eggplant, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!

Want to learn more?

You might like:

Some Surprising Truths About Hunger And Satiety ← our main feature in which we examine the science of volumetrics, including a study that shows how water incorporated into a food (but not served with a food) decreases caloric intake. So, cucumbers are great for this.

Enjoy!