Bottle gourd is one of the healthiest vegetables that is a must addition to your diet.
Lauki or dudhi / Bottle Gourd is a powerhouse of nutrients and health benefits.
It’s High on water content, therefore known as “Water Vegetable”, fiber and is enriched with vitamins and minerals.
Lauki Nutrition
Bottle gourd contains Several essential nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, zinc, Thiamine, Iron, Folate, Magnesium, and Potassium thus, helping in improving overall health.
Bottle gourd has several nutritional benefits such as:
- Bottle gourd is extremely low in saturated fats and cholesterol.
- It’s high in water content approx. 96% of it is water.
- It’s extremely low in calorie and rich in fiber, and therefore it is a perfect “Zero Calorie” vegetable to Lose fat. Due to this aspect, it helps to keep you full for a more extended period of time.
- Lauki is loaded with antioxidants.
- It is One of the most alkaline vegetable.
1 Cup Chopped bottle gourd ( approx. 150g) has :
Calories | 17 Kcal |
Carbohydrates | 3.2 gm |
Fiber | 2.9 gm |
Protein | 0.3 gm |
Fat | 0.1 gm |
As per a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in May 2012. Consuming bottle gourd on an empty stomach for at least 4 days in a week will help you lose the belly fat faster.
Health Benefits Of consuming Lauki or Lauki Juice:
- Great for digestive health.
- Helps in detoxification.
- Supports Weight loss process.
- Keeps you Hydrated.
- Prevents & Cure Urinary Tract infection.
- Good for Heart Health.
- Helps Reduce stress by improving Brain Function.
- Regulates blood pressure.
- Maintains blood sugar levels.
- Boosts liver health.
- It also helps in treating grey hair.
- Helps regulate sleep.
- Helps recover from asthma & jaundice.
- Cures baldness & tooth decay.
- Useful in Skin care routine & protection.
- Exhibits Cooling effects in summers.
- Boosts immunity during summers.
- Acts as an excellent post workout drink.
Why juicing Lauki is Good For Health?
It’s a good idea to have bottle gourd or ‘lauki’ as a juice because cooking deactivates the minerals and vitamins found in it.
The juice keeps your stomach cool and reduces body heat or ‘pitta’.
You can also eat boiled lauki with curd to get its cooling benefits.
When & how to consume Lauki Juice ?
- For best results you should have the juice in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Please keep in mind that you should not strain the juice.
- Peel the gourd and try a bit of flesh before blending, it shouldn’t taste bitter. If it does, discard it.
- Bottle gourd contains compounds like tetracyclic triterpenoid called cucurbitacin which are toxic in nature.
- 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 flavor.
- One should consume the juice immediately as it oxidizes quite fast.
How much to consume?
One should not drink more than three ounces (roughly 88 ml) of lauki juice in a day.
Juice toxicity
- If not consumed carefully and mindfully, not only Bottle gourd but any food can cause harm. Writer and filmmaker Tahira Kashyap said she was admitted to ICU for two days after suffering from bottle gourd toxicity.
- Doctors too explain how consuming a bitter bottle gourd can be harmful for you.
- Besides, drinking excess lauki juice can lead to adverse health issues like nausea, ulcers, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and more.
- Hence, to limit the risk, it is advisable to drink the juice that has been cooked properly and not consume the one that tastes bitter.
Mindfully consuming, analyzing, and monitoring what you feed yourself is as important as anything. Be wise, and consume the food after knowing about it to attain maximum benefits.