Greek Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini plants are prolific as many a gardener can tell you.  This recipe from The Foodie Physician is a tasty and healthy way to use the overflow once you have supplied your neighbors with enough squash to stuff a car!  Photos from their Facebook page give you a step by step pictorial, too!

 

From LiveStrong.com:  Zucchini are a type of summer squash, traditionally harvested between May and July. All parts of the zucchini are edible including the flesh, green skin and seeds and it can be eaten raw or cooked. Like other varieties of summer squash, including yellow squash and patty pan squash, zucchini will keep in the refrigerator about one week.

Basic Nutrition

One cup of sliced, boiled zucchini, weighing approximately 180g, makes up a single serving of this vegetable. In this single serving, there are 29 calories. Zucchini contains 7g of carbohydrate, including 3g of fiber, per serving. There is also 1g of protein and 5mg of salt. Zucchini contains no fat or cholesterol. The water content of a cup of sliced zucchini comes to 171g.    

advertisement

Vitamins

Zucchini is high in vitamin A, containing 2011 IU of the vitamin per one-cup serving, a full 40 percent of the recommended daily intake. A serving also contains 14 percent of the recommended intake of vitamin C and smaller amounts of vitamins B6, E and K.Other vitamins in zucchini include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, betaine, pantothenic acid, folate and choline.

Minerals

One cup of zucchini has 16 percent of the recommendation for manganese, 13 percent of the potassium recommendation and 10 percent of the daily recommendation for magnesium. Zucchini also contains the minerals iron, phosphorus, zinc, copper and selenium.

Phytochemicals

Zucchini contains high levels of phytochemicals, another class of healthy compounds in addition to its vitamin and minerals. Two of these phytochemicals are lutein and zeaxanthin, which may help protect vision and lower the risk of developing macular degeneration and cataracts. Other phytochemicals in zucchini include secoisolariciresinol, isoflavones and cucurbitacin E.

Health Benefits

According to World's Healthiest Foods, zucchini helps prevent cellular changes that can lead to cancer. The vitamins C and A in zucchini may protect against atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma. The folate in zucchini can confer protection against heart attack and stroke. As a high-fiber food, zucchini can also contribute to colon health, including protection against colon cancer, as well as helping lower cholesterol levels.

Considerations

Zucchini, along with all other types of summer squash, contain oxalates, compounds that may cause problems in people susceptible to gallbladder or kidney disease. Oxalates may cause a problem because they can crystallize in the body and accumulate in these organs. Another potential problem oxalates can cause is that they can interfere with calcium absorption. Normally, this effect is minimal and the calcium present in zucchini typically makes up for the loss of absorption.

 

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/265078-nutrition-information-for-zucchini/#ixzz2PRC1rkGc