The nutritional value in 100g of zucchini is great because it offers micronutrients such as vitamins C and B6. It is rich in multiple antioxidants, which include lutein and zeaxanthin.
Zucchini is also called courgette or vegetable marrow. It is among the most widely consumed summer squashes. this vegetable is easy to buy in most marketplaces.
It belongs to the Cucurbitaceae plant family alongside other squashes like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and melons.
This adaptable vegetable adds a lot of flavor to meals while being low in calories, fat, and sugar.
A fully matured zucchini usually contains high levels of fiber.
Zucchini is a fruit, botanically, but it is often called a vegetable because it is used in cooking.
It is a tender, warm-season vegetable grown throughout the United States anytime during the warm, frost-free season. Zucchini can grow to more than 1 meter in length, and it is available in its best form during May and July.
In contrast to winter squash, zucchini are picked for harvesting before the rind hardens and the fruit matures, when it’s below 8 inches (20 cm) in length and the seeds are young and soft.
It occurs in several varieties ranging from deep yellow to dark green in colors.
Young zucchini have a subtle taste, a soft covering, and buttery white flesh. Almost all parts of this squash vegetable are edible, including the flesh, seeds, and skin.
Nutritional facts of zucchini.
Let’s go in-depth into the nutrition facts of a zucchini, as provided by the United State Department of Agriculture. The nutritional value per 100g of chopped zucchini provides
- Calories: 17
- Protein: 1.2g
- Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrate: 3.9g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Sugars: 0.3g
- Calcium: 16mg
- Iron: 0.4mg
- Magnesium: 18mg
- Phosphorus: 38mg
- Potassium: 261mg
- Sodium: 8mg
- Zinc: 0.3mg
- Manganese: 0.2mg
- Selenium: 0.2mcg
- Vitamin B6: 0.2mg
- Choline: 9.5mg
- Beta-carotene: 120mcg
- Lutein and zeaxanthin: 2120mcg
Do zucchini have fat?
Zucchini is a low-fat vegetable. A serving size of raw zucchini (124 g) contains less than 0.5 grams of fat.
Is there protein in zucchini?
Zucchini is a low-protein vegetable. A serving size of 124 grams provides 1.5 grams of protein, which is about 3% of the Daily Value (DV) of protein based on 2,000 calories per day.
However, depending on your calorie needs, the daily value could be higher or lower.
How many calories in a zucchini squash?
Zucchini is a low-calorie food, making it a perfect light dish for a hefty meal. One cup of raw, sliced zucchini provides about 19 calories. One medium-sized (196 g) of this vegetable contains about 33 calories.
While a whole small zucchini (118 g) provides about 20 calories, and one large zucchini of 323 g provides about 55 calories.
Thanks to its versatility, you may eat this low-calorie dish in various ways, from baked fries to pesto roll-ups.
Of course, you could always cook zucchini with herbs for a savory flavor.
Calorie breakdown
One cup of sliced zucchini provides:
- Calories: 19
- Protein: 1.4g (26%)
- Fat: 0.4g (8%)
- Carbohydrate: 3.5g (66%)
From the calorie breakdown, the main source of calories in zucchini is carbohydrates, with 66%, while protein and fat contributed 26% and 8% of the total calories in zucchini, respectively.
How many carbs in 1 zucchini?
It is a known fact that zucchini contains carbohydrates. However, let’s find out the number of carbs in a zucchini.
According to the USDA, one cup of raw, chopped zucchini (124 g) will provide you with 3.86 grams of total carbs and 2.62 grams of net carbs. One large zucchini (323 g) provides you with 10 grams of total carbs and about 6.8 grams of net carbs. Most of the carbohydrates in zucchini are sugar.
Generally speaking, zucchini is a low-carbohydrate vegetable.
Is zucchini high in sugar?
Vegetables are one of the food groups that tend to have the lowest sugar content while having a high dietary fiber, vitamin, and mineral content.
However, it can be helpful if you know how much sugar your vegetables contain, especially for those on a certain diet or having health challenges like diabetes, as it would help you in achieving better health conditions.
According to the USDA, one medium (196 g), including skin, raw, and zucchini, contains 4.9 grams of sugar. The main components of this sugar are fructose (2.7 g), glucose (2.1 g), and sucrose (0.1 g).
One cup chopped (124 g) of raw zucchini contains 3.1 g of sugars which are sucrose (0.1 g), glucose (1.3 g), and fructose (1.7 g).
Zucchini high in fiber.
Dietary fiber is important in wellness, influencing everything from bowel function to blood control and heart health. Zucchini and other squash provide dietary fiber, particularly when the skin and seeds are intact.
Data from the USDA revealed that one cup of raw, chopped zucchini (124 g) with skin intact provides 1.2g of fiber, and a cup of sliced zucchini (113g) contains 1.1g of fiber. A large raw zucchini (323g) provides 3.2g of fiber, a medium (196g) delivers 2g, and a small raw zucchini (118g) contains 1.2g of fiber.
When you eat a large raw zucchini with 3.2g of dietary fiber, you consume about 11% of the daily value of your dietary fiber.
Vitamins in zucchini squash.
Zucchini is packed with many important vitamins that play a great role in supporting your health.
Vitamins are essential nutrients, meaning the body can’t synthesize them; you can only obtain them through food.
According to the United State Department of Agriculture, one cup of chopped, raw zucchini (124g) delivered the following vitamins:
- Vitamin C: 22.2mg (25% of the daily value (DV))
- Thiamin: 0.1mg (8%)
- Riboflavin: 0.1mg (8%)
- Niacin: 0.6mg (4%)
- Pantothenic acid: 0.3mg (6%)
- Vitamin: B6: 0.2mg (12%)
- Folate: 30mcg (8%)
- Vitamin A: 12.4 mcg (1%)
- Vitamin E: 0.2mg (1%)
- Vitamin K: 5.3mcg (4%)
Zucchini is a good source of vitamin B6. You will also get a smaller amount of folate, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid.
Vitamin C in zucchini.
This summer squash (zucchini) is an excellent source of vitamin C. A 1-cup serving of raw, chopped zucchini (124 g) contains 22.2 mg of vitamin C. This amount is 25% of vitamin C’s daily value (DV).
To obtain the optimum benefits of vitamin C in your vegetable, use the zucchini within the shortest possible days of purchase and store it in a cool and dark location. This is because heat, temperature, and sunlight destroy Vitamin C content in food.
Is there vitamin K in zucchini?
The body makes several of the proteins needed for normal blood coagulation with the help of vitamin K.
The growth, maintenance, and development of bones are also aided by vitamin K. Zucchini is a decent source of vitamin K. 1-cup of chopped zucchini (124 g) provides 5.3 mcg of vitamin K, which is 4% of your daily value.
Eating food like zucchini may help lower your risk of osteoporosis and excessive bleeding from an injury.
Zucchini vitamin A.
Even though zucchini is not a particularly good source of vitamin A, eating this summer squash will give you a considerable amount.
Apart from the fact that zucchini contains a considerable amount of beta-carotene ( provitamin A), which is converted into vitamin A in your body, 1-cup of the vegetable contains 12.4mcg of vitamin A, which is about 1% daily value of your vitamin A.
Therefore, eating a good number of zucchini and other vitamin A rich-foods may help you keep healthy teeth and mucus membranes.
Vitamin A also supports good vision especially in dim light. It also plays a vital, healthy role during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Health benefits of zucchini squash.
In addition to all those amazing vitamins and minerals, zucchini has beneficial substances called carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin.
As part of an overall healthy diet, zucchini is a low-calorie food that can assist you in losing weight.
Here’s a closer look at what the most recent studies have to say about the advantages of zucchini squash for your health.
1. May help with weight loss management.
Eating zucchini regularly may help you lose weight because this vegetable is high in water, fiber and low in calories, which may help you feel full. Consumption of fruits and vegetables helps in weight loss management.
More research confirms the association between eating fruits and vegetables and losing weight.
There is an inverse relationship between fruit and vegetable intake.
Consuming non-starchy vegetables with nutrient profiles similar to that of zucchini, such as dark green or yellow vegetables, appears to be very helpful for weight loss.
2. It may support healthy blood sugar levels.
In addition to being high in fiber, zucchini has few carbohydrates. People with type 2 diabetes may benefit from high-fibre diets from fruits and vegetables to help them manage their blood sugar levels.
With only 3 grams of carbohydrates per cooked cup (232 grams), zucchini is an excellent low-carb alternative to pasta for consumers attempting to reduce their intake.
Additionally, a study found that low-carbohydrate foods, including zucchini, help type 2 diabetic patients maintain good glucose control which may further lead to a reduction in medication for such patients.
Additionally, when you eat fiber-rich foods like zucchini, your blood sugar won’t spike. And coupled with the fact that it has a low glycemic index, zucchini may help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar level in check.
3. It May support heart health.
Zucchini is a decent source of potassium. A cup of 124 grams contains 324 mg of potassium which is about 7% of your recommended daily value.
According to the American Heart Foundation, eating potassium-rich can help lower your blood pressure.
This squash is low in sodium, and its high fiber content works synergistically to maintain your heart health.
Zucchini also contains a lot of vitamin C, an antioxidant that may improve blood cell lining function, decrease blood pressure, and prevent artery blockages.
The folate in zucchini also helps in supporting heart health. Folate plays a vital role in homocysteine metabolism by breaking it down into a compound that is useful to your body.
A high concentration of homocysteine is potentially toxic to the vascular wall.
4. It May help to nourish the skin.
Vitamin C is an integral part of the skin. This vitamin helps to stimulate collagen synthesis and also acts as an antioxidant which helps to protect you against UV- induced photodamage.
Consuming food rich in vitamin C, like zucchini, may also help to slow down the declining rate of aging skin, and the high water content can help with skin hydration.
5. Possibly Beneficial to Eye Health.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration {AMD} is the major cause of blindness among aged people in western countries.
In the macula, lutein and zeaxanthin are the only carotenoids present, suggesting their protective properties in supporting good vision by preventing oxidative damage,
which could lead to macular degeneration and cataracts.
Therefore, eating fruits and vegetables high in lutein and zeaxanthin, like zucchini, may support your eye health.
6. It may improve men’s health.
A disease condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also called prostate gland enlargement is a common health condition that affects men as they get older, this might lead to bladder and kidney problems.
Zucchini may be beneficial in treating this disease because of its high vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lutein concentration.
A study showed that consuming fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lutein was inversely linked to benign prostatic hyperplasia.
7. It may be beneficial in digestion.
Zucchini is a vegetable that is a good source of fiber, containing both soluble and insoluble forms of fiber. Fiber has been shown to play a beneficial role in digestive health.
Insoluble fiber supports bowel movement by absorbing water and softening stool, making easier passage of stool, thus preventing constipation.
They also add bulk to the stools, preventing loose stool formation.
A fiber-rich diet also improves bowel health by preventing hemorrhoids and diverticular disease formation or worsening
8. Aids in preventing gout.
Once more, the vitamin C in zucchini steals the show. In one study, vitamin C intake was connected to a decreased risk of gout in men.
It accomplishes this by having what is known as the “uricosuric effect,” which lowers serum uric acid levels.
Vitamin C was also discovered to prevent several urate-related illnesses.
Consuming zucchini can help you avoid gout. Additionally, it is rather simple to prepare because most recipes work well with its mild flavor.
9. It may help to reduce the risk of cancer.
Zucchini is a good source of beta-carotene and Vitamin A in smaller amounts. Due to their high antioxidant content, consuming zucchini may help reduce certain cancers, such as lung and colon colorectal.
Studies published in Nutrient suggested that consuming more vitamin A and beta-carotene in your diet may reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.
Some studies analysis also suggested that a higher intake of vitamin C may help to protect you against lung cancer.
In addition, some studies have also revealed that when you eat more vegetables high in carotenoids like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, as found in zucchini, may help you lower the risk of colorectal cancer.
10. It may be beneficial to pregnant mothers and babies.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables with high folate content, like zucchini, is advisable for an expectant mother to support the mother’s health and prevent certain inborn errors like neural tube defects in the fetus.
During pregnancy, increased folate intake is required for rapid cell growth and division of the fetus and expansion of maternal blood volume.
Folate plays a vital role in the synthesis of red blood cells and helps your baby’s neural tube develop into their brain and spinal cord.
Food rich in folate has been linked to reducing neural tube defects in an unborn baby during developmental stages in the womb.
11. It may help prevent asthma.
Due to their high carotenoid content, fruits like zucchini may help patients experience less severe asthma attacks.
A study showed that consuming food high in carotenoids may help protect you against oxidative stress, a recognized feature of asthma.
This assertion is supported by a publication in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, which revealed that beta-carotene exerts a protective effect against exercise-induced asthma.
12. It may support bone health.
The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, as well as vitamin K and magnesium, are all found in decent amounts in zucchini and can all help strengthen bones.
Storage of zucchini.
Even though zucchini is typically accessible year-round in grocery stores, you may have noticed that it tends to taste better when it is in season in the spring and summer.
In order to preserve the vegetable’s flavor and nutritional value after you’ve chosen and purchased it, proper storage is crucial.
Zucchini should be kept in your refrigerator’s vegetable drawer and sealed in a plastic bag for optimal results. Before losing its flavor, it can stay there for three days at most.
Rinse the zucchini in cool water before slicing or cooking it. You can gently scrape out any filth embedded in the skin.
If possible, avoid peeling zucchini while preparing it for consumption. Its edible peel contains a significant amount of nutritional value.
But be sure to trim the zucchini’s base and the neck.
How to eat zucchini squash.
There are several ways to include zucchini in your diet. It can be spiralized into noodles, eaten raw or sliced, and added to salads or sandwiches.
Zucchini can also be incorporated into zucchini bread.
Aside from zucchini bread, it can be oven-roasted. Slice the zucchini and toss with olive oil, spices, and herbs to add extra flavor.
Smaller zucchini are more tasty and suitable for other recipes, including salads, sandwiches, and pasta dishes, while larger zucchini are perfect for baking and stuffing.
In various recipes, including pasta, soups, sandwiches, and wraps, be creative by replacing cheese or meat with zucchini.
If you’re using spiralized zucchini in place of pasta, sauté it for no more than one to two minutes to prevent it from becoming mushy.
Is eating too much zucchini bad for you?
While generally risk-free and healthy, zucchini can cause digestive problems in those with irritable bowel syndrome.
Additionally, some people may experience bloating after consuming zucchini due to its high fiber content.
Although most individuals don’t get enough fiber daily, boosting your fiber intake too rapidly can cause stomach trouble.
If you feel uncomfortable in your stomach after consuming zucchini, try eating fewer fibrous foods overall and gradually increasing your daily intake.
That may lessen the possibility of gas bloat caused by the fiber.
Zucchini produces a chemical compound called cucurbitacins, which causes this vegetable to taste bitter.
Cucurbitacins are usually produced in small concentrations by the vegetable.
Occasionally, cucurbitacins concentration can be higher in zucchini which causes an extreme bitterness of this vegetable.
Eating much of a bitter zucchini may be bad for you because it can cause severe stomach cramps and diarrhea.
Finally, if you have ragweed pollen allergies, consider opting for cooked zucchini, as the zucchini may not be ok for you to eat. That may reduce the potential symptoms of the allergy.
In addition, you may peel off the skin before you eat it, as the oral allergy syndrome (OAS)-casing protein is often found in the skin of the produce.
Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is a condition where your immune system mistakes zucchini for ragweed pollen, says the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Most people with OAS experience only mild symptoms, such as an itchy mouth, tongue, and throat or face, when they eat zucchini. However, severe cases occur but rear.
Summary.
Zucchini, summer squash is botanically a fruit but is usually prepared and served as a vegetable.
Like any other fruit and vegetable, zucchini is a low-calorie, nutrient-dense food packed with antioxidants.
Having zucchini as part of your meal may provide various health benefits, such as your heart, skin, and eyes.
Zucchini is a versatile, tasty, nutritious food that can be eaten in different forms.
Despite its nutritional value, zucchini might be allergic in some cases.