Zucchini Calories

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." Jim Davis.

Believe me people, if there was anything like a 'pure non-vegetarian' it was describing me about a year back. I just couldn't have enough of meat and fish and eggs. I alone could have been blamed for the decline in the number of animals slaughtered to nourish humankind. But then I shifted to this place where the greater number of the people are vegetarians and all the joints and eateries in the vicinity only served vegetarian food. That is when I discovered the delights of Brussels sprouts, broccoli, lettuce and zucchini. Yum is the word for all of them. I mean I know a lot of you are already screwing up your noses, but believe me people, they are healthy and very tasty. It's all a mindset that vegetables are yuck. Besides all of you who are on the heavier side, as reflected on the weighing scale, should eat more of the aforementioned vegetables and give that packet of French fries a miss! You want to know why? I'll tell you exactly why. Take zucchini for instance, belonging to the summer category in the list of types of squash. Zucchini's water content is as high as 95%. So, it not only keeps you totally hydrated during the summers, it rids your body off toxins and boosts your metabolism. Want to know more of such zucchini health benefits? Well, in the following paragraphs I will give you more zucchini nutritional information including zucchini calories.

Calories in Zucchini

The following table will tell all weight-conscious folks about zucchini calories and why zucchini should become their plates' best friend.

Zucchini Form	Serving Size	Number of Calories	Calories from Fat	Carbohydrates (in grams)	Proteins (in grams)
Raw Zucchini	124 g	20	2	4.15	1.5
Baby Zucchini	85 g	2	0	0.34	0.3
Boiled zucchini with salt	90 g	14	0	3.54	0.58
Grilled zucchini	110 g	70	54	4	2
Beer battered zucchini slivers	100 g	190	99	19	2

Need I say more? Really, zucchini can be devoured even by those on a low-carb diet. Of course the calorie count mounts when you beer batter it, but that is because of the beer and not the green vegetable that the French lovingly call courgette. But I guess you would want to know more about zucchini nutrition and so here goes.

Other Zucchini Nutritional Information

For those who are building up arguments like zucchinis are bitter, just because their anti-zucchini forum is going down, here are some more facts that will take all of you on a guilt-ride for having shunned zucchini for so long. By the way, zucchinis are sometimes bitter due to disrupted habitat conditions, such as depleted soil nourishment, increased temperature and reduced moisture which produces compounds known as cucurbitacins in them. But that is true for even cucumbers. Moving on, here are some more information on zucchinis to bore it into your heads that eating is more than just gratifying the demands of your taste buds.

• While raw zucchini has about 20% of the total daily requirement of vitamin A and 14% of vitamin B₆, boiled, salted zucchini the skin of which has been left on is so rich in vitamin C that 35% of the Daily Value stipulation is fulfilled by it with lan!
• Zucchini also contains thiamine (4%) and riboflavin (10%) both of which are B vitamin varieties, good for maintaining appetite, prevention of beriberi and ensuring growth and preventing localized abnormal structural change in a bodily part and weight loss, respectively.
• 24 mcg of folates, a vitamin B form imperative for cell development and reproduction, are found in every 100 g of zucchini. This makes it a must eat for expecting mothers to ensure the health of the fetus.
• Besides this it has about 2% of the DV of pantothenic acid which is a vitamin of the vitamin B complex that is supremely important in the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates and certain amino acids. Along with this, it has 3% of the DV of niacin content which again is vitamin B essential for the normal function of the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract.
• Raw zucchini has high potassium levels of about 325 mg and a sodium content of 12 mg.
• Zucchini also has small amounts of the minerals calcium (2%), copper (3%), iron (2%), magnesium (5%), phosphorus (5%), and zinc (2%).
• It has 19% of the DV stipulation of the mineral manganese which aids the bodily functions of mineral channelization, optimal extraction of the benefits of minerals to keep bones, cartilage, and the skin in ship-shape and also helps tend to soothe strained or cramping muscles.
• Zucchini is a very important source of lutein, which is great for macular health preventing macular degeneration, with about 113 grams containing 2.401 mcg. of it, resembling Brussels sprouts nutrition in this respect. In fact people who are circa 60 years of age should increase its intake due to this as macular degeneration is the primary blindness causing problem among people of 60 and above. Lutein is high in all varieties of squash.
• Raw zucchini has no cholesterol presence at all!

[* Percentages in the bracket indicate the DV (Daily Value) of the contents and not their quantity in the vegetable.]

See I am not discouraging you from following Jim Davis and eating zucchini bread. Indulge in zucchini bread recipes as much as you want but understand that eating green vegetables on a regular basis is very essential for a healthy body as well as mind. Zucchini is one such health friendly option which is rich in proteins, energy giving sugars (2.15g), 1.4 g of fibers, and negligible amounts of fats (0.04 g) out of which saturated fat content is a minuscule .009 g. Most importantly you have nothing to worry about when it comes to zucchini calories as only 16% from proteins and 75% from carbohydrates. In fact, before I end this article, I will give the lip-smacking recipe of Salmon Provenal with zucchini - a dish super rich in vitamin D, B₆ and B₁₂, Omega-3 fatty acids, niacin, selenium and magnesium!

Salmon Provenal with Zucchini

For four servings, you need to have, Salmon fillet, 4 pieces (6-ounce, skinless) Zucchini, 3 medium (8-ounce, cut lengthwise in half, and then crosswise in "-thick slices.) Tomatoes, 1 28-ounce can (whole tomatoes in juice) Onion, 1 (small, chopped) Kalamata olives, cup (chopped) Water, 2 tbsp. Olive oil, 1 tbsp. Capers, 1 tbsp. (drained and chopped) Lemon juice, 1 tbsp. (fresh) Oil, 1 tbsp. Black pepper, tsp. Salt, tsp. Procedure Apply the salt and the pepper on both the sides of the fillet. Now, pour the oil in a 12" skillet and place it on medium-high to get heated. Once hot, place the fillet on the skillet and turn the heat-knob to medium. Let one side of the fish cook for at least 3 minutes before turning it over. Simultaneously, reserve about th cup worth of tomato juice from the can and drain out the rest. Cut up the tomatoes. Gradually you will see that the fillet are turning uniformly opaque. This indicates that they are cooked. Place them on a plate and immediately enwrap the plate with aluminum foil to retain the heat in the fish. After that, add the onion to the skillet and stir for 5 minutes. Next, pour the tomato juice and throw in the tomatoes. Keep stirring until a steady boil sets in. Once the sauce has thickened sufficiently, remove it from the heat and add the capers and olives to it. While the sauce is thickening, you need to place the zuchhini slices immersed in water in to the microwave for 5 minutes. Remember to wrap the bowl with a well ventilated plastic wrap. Cook it on High. Once the zuchhini is soft enough, drain the excess water. Now, add lemon juice to the sliced beauties and toss well to mix. To serve, first place the fillet on individual plates, top it with the sauce. Place the zuchhini slices on the side of each filet.

Oh, and if you wish to extract the maximum number of zucchini benefits then do not de-skin it as the maximum number of these nutrients are all in that exocarp. Really you cannot ask for more. So, go ahead on a zucchini binge sans that the awful cringe!