The benefits of bottle gourd have a lot. Bottle gourd is a vegetable high in water and is a rich source of vitamins C, K, and calcium. It helps in maintaining a healthy heart and brings down bad cholesterol levels. The juice is also beneficial for diabetic patients as it stabilizes the blood sugar level and maintains blood pressure. Here we are going to discuss the benefits of bottle gourd and their side effects.
Benefits of Bottle Gourd
- Bottle gourd is rich in dietary fiber, both, soluble and insoluble. Hence, it helps in curing constipation, flatulence, and even piles. It is also easy to digest.
- It promotes weight loss. The vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber in lauki keep the body well-nourished and curb unnecessary appetite, especially if you drink its juice in the morning on an empty stomach.
Its fat and cholesterol content is extremely low. - It consists of approximately 96% of water and is, therefore, a great thirst quencher. It also prevents fatigue and keeps the body cool and refreshed during summer.
- Apart from the iron content it is also rich in vitamins B and C and helps in anti-oxidative actions.
- It also contains sodium, potassium, essential minerals, and trace elements, which regulate blood pressure and prevent the risk of heart ailments.
- High in sodium and potassium, bottle gourd is also an excellent vegetable for people with hypertension.
- It is a suitable vegetable for light, low-calorie diets as well as for children, people with digestive problems, diabetics, and those recovering from an illness or injury.
- Bottle gourd is recommended by Ayurveda physicians for balancing the liver function when the liver is inflamed and unable to process food efficiently for nutrition and assimilation.
Bottle Gourd Nutrition
Bottle gourd is extremely low in saturated fats and cholesterol and is rich in water and nutrients required to lose fat from the body. The vegetable contains essential nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Iron, Folate, Magnesium, and Potassium.
146g Bottle Gourd Nutrition Contain:
- Calories 22
- Total Fat 0g
- Saturated Fat 0g
- Trans Fat 0g
- Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
- Monounsaturated Fat 0g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 2.9mg
- Potassium 248mg
- Total Carbohydrates 5.4g
- Dietary Fiber 1.8g
- Protein 0.9g
Benefits of Bottle Gourd Juice
Cools your body
Bottle gourd juice has a cooling effect on your body and keeps your body hydrated especially during summers. It keeps your stomach cool and reduces body heat. Since you tend to sweat a lot during summers, drinking bottle-gourd juice regularly helps in replenishing the water loss. In her book, Back to Nature with Ayurveda’, Asha Devi suggests that bottle gourd juice is a great remedy for any kind of heat-related ailment like nose bleeding, pimples, or ulcers.
Helps in weight loss
Bottle gourd juice is widely used for weight loss. It is packed with fiber which helps in keeping you full for longer and it is also low in calories. In her book, ’25 Fat Burning Juice Recipes, Asha Thorat explains that bottle gourd has been prescribed in Ayurvedic medicine to reduce flab. “Fiber is the key to weight loss. Bottle gourd contains fewer calories with no fat. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C Vitamin B, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Iron, Folate, Potassium, and Manganese,” she says.
Treats urinary tract infections
Drinking freshly squeezed bottle gourd juice mixed with some lime juice is one of the bets natural remedies to treat urinary tract infections. Cures tummy troublesBottle gourd juice helps in curing constipation and also treats diarrhoea. The water and fiber content help in cleaning your digestive track and allows easy bowel movement. To treat diarrhoea, drink bottle gourd juice with a pinch of salt. This concoction helps in maintain the electrolyte balance of the body. According to Ayurveda, bottle gourd juice is great for digestion.
Keep your heart healthy
Regular consumption of bottle gourd juice on an empty stomach every morning helps in lowering your blood cholesterol levels and maintains healthy heart functions.
Relieves stress
Bottle gourd contains a good amount of choline – a kind of neurotransmitter that helps in improving the functions of the brain and helps in preventing stress, depression, and other mental disorders.
An excellent post-workout drink
Bottle gourd juice acts as a natural post-workout drink due to the presence of natural sugars in the vegetable which help in restoring the glucose levels and also replace the carbohydrates lost during your training session. Being rich in protein and other nutrients, bottle gourd juice also improves the efficiency of your muscles. A quick tip: Bottle gourd juice should always be consumed fresh. Peel and gourd and try a bit of flesh before blending, it shouldn’t taste bitter. If it does, discard it. Also, it is advised to have bottle gourd juice alone and not mixed with other vegetables. However, you can add amla, ginger, fresh mint leave and some rock salt to spruce up the flavour.
