Bottle gourd has always been regarded as one of the healthiest veggies. This very versatile vegetable is full of water (about 92%) and minerals and keeps your body hydrated. Also known as Lauki or Doodhi in India, it definitely doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. Bottle gourd is a vegetable high on the water and is a rich source of vitamin 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 stabilises the blood sugar level and maintains blood pressure. The best time to have it is in the morning. A small glass would just be perfect. Also, one needs to consume the juice immediately as it oxidises quite fast.
Still not convinced? Perhaps, these incredible benefits of drinking bottle gourd juice will change your mind:
1. 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.
2. Helps in weight loss
Bottle gourd juice is widely used for weight loss. It is packed with fibre 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. “Fibre 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.
3. 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.
4. Cures tummy troubles
Bottle gourd juice helps in curing constipation and also treats diarrhoea. The water and fibre 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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 helps 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.