Okra or lady’s finger as it is commonly called is a staple food item that often finds a place in our daily diet. But other than the facts that you can make a number of dishes with it and it is quite tasty, what else do you really know about this staple vegetable? Did you know that there are 25 amazing health benefits of eating okra? No, right. Well, that’s why we have decided to be your ‘okra guru’ today!!! Alright, so sit back and take notes as we give you all the deets on this wonder vegetable.
25 Health Benefits of Eating Okra /Lady’s Finger (Bhindi)
1. Bye Bye Cholesterol
Everybody knows that cholesterol is bad for our health but not everyone knows that okra can help in controlling your cholesterol levels. It contains mucilage which helps in binding excess cholesterol and toxins like bile acids.
So, if you are someone in your family is suffering from high cholesterol, it’s time to start having some delicious okra dishes!
2. Healthy Heart Is A Happy Heart
Keeping our heart healthy and safe is the top priority, isn’t it? Rather than taking expensive medications, we think it’s better to try out natural remedies. And, one such remedy that you can try out is our wonder vegetable – okra.
Like we mentioned earlier, ladyfinger controls your cholesterol levels, improves the capilaries functions and the potassium content helps in maintaining the heart and its function.
3. No More Depression
Ok, this is not your one stop cure for depression, but it has been proven that having okra when you are feeling depressed or exhausted can calm your nerves and soothe your body and mind.
Wondering how this is possible? It is because okra is rich in magnesium which is responsible for giving your body and mind the much needed boost.
4. Constipation Problems
Having a constipated stomach is sure a pain and the sooner you get relief from it the better. We bet you didn’t know that okra can help you in preventing constipation. Surprised? We were too, when we got to know this.
Its laxative properties helps in lubricating the large intestines which make it easier for our body to eliminate all the waste.
5. Lung Inflammation
Here is another benefit of having okra. With the presence of antioxidants like phytochemical and other nutrients, okra can help your body in preventing the inflammation of your lungs.
6. Recipe For Sore Throat
Sore throat combined with difficulty in swallowing food can make any sane person irritable and crazy. Now, the next time you are bogged down by sore throat, we would recommend you to have a glass of lady’s finger infused water.
The antiseptic and antibacterial properties of okra will soothe your irritable throat and also help in curing the sore throat.
7. Natural Remedy For Asthma
One of the best home remedies to treat asthma, including lady’s finger in your daily diet is strongly recommended if you are an asthma patient. The vitamin C present in lady’s finger helps in controlling inflammation and the symptoms of asthma attacks.
8. Remove Pimples And Acne
You must have heard about a lot of natural remedies for removing pimples and acne, but we are sure none of them include okra! But the antibacterial properties of okra are actually effective in curing your acne.
All you need to do is just apply the mucilage on the affected area.
9. Better Eyesight
It’s not just carrots that are good for your eyesight. Time to look at the lady’s finger also as a source of bettering your eyesight. This is because the pods of lady’s finger consists of flavanoid like beta carotene and loads of vitamin A.
10. Cure For Cough And Cold
Having okra is not only great for curing sore throats but also for curing cough and cold. The antioxidants and phytochemical components help in preventing the cold and cough symptoms.
11. Scurvy Treatment
Lack of adequate vitamin C on your body leads to the scurvy disease. Get your daily dose of vitamin C by making okra an integral part of your diet since it is rich in vitamin C and is responsible for preventing oral inflammation and infection.
12. Strong Bones For A Stronger You
Apart from indulging in a glass of milk everyday for your daily dose of calcium, you also have to take proper intake of vitamin K. Why? Because it is through vitamin K that the calcium gets absorbed which in turn regulates the regeneration of bone cells.
13. Maintain And Regulate Metabolism
Your body’s metabolism process is responsible for maintaining the enzymatic functions and production of energy. This is why it is important to ensure that you intake adequate vitamins B which will regulate and maintain your metabolism. No guesses for figuring out that all the essential vitamins B are present in okra!
14. Weighty Issues
Unless you are already blessed with the perfect body, there is every chance that you are always on the look out for foods that can help you in your weight loss journey. And, once again we have the wonder vegetable to your rescue.
Your diet has to be low on calories which makes okra the perfect vegetable since it has only 30 cal per 100 grams. The fiber content keeps you satiated for a longer period of time.
15. For A Healthy Pregnancy
If you are pregnant then please make sure that you include okra in your daily diet. This is because the okra pods contains folate which helps in fetus development and prevention of neural tube defects in a newborn baby.
16. Keep Your Kidney Healthy
If you are a diabetes patient, then there is a greater risk of kidney damage for you. So if you are looking for ways to keep your kidneys safe and healthy, then start consuming okra as it has been proved that they can help in reducing the risk of kidney damage.
17. Preventing Anemia
A decrease in your hemoglobin counts leads to anemia and to fix this you need to increase your intake of iron and copper. Okra is one such vegetable which contains these minerals. Thus, your okra consumption can help in increasing your count of new red blood cells.
18. Muscle Spasm Cure
Muscle spasms are as painful as suffering from a headache or fever and we often seek relief from them by taking medications. But, did you know that lady’s finger has been used as part of ayurvedic medications to treat these problems?
19. Give Your Immune System A Boost
It is your immune system that fights all the infections and pathogens. Hence, it is necessary to boost your immune system with the help of vitamin C. The vitamin C content in okra helps in promoting and strengthening the white blood cells.
20. Lower The Risk Of Cataract
Like we mentioned earlier, lady’s finger is super beneficial for keeping your eyes healthy. This in turn also helps in reducing the risk of cataract which usually occurs as one ages.
21. For Beautiful Skin
This okra benefit definitely blew my mind! We have used a number of natural products to keep our skin healthy and glowing. But, we never knew that one can use lady’s finger also to moisturize the skin. Vitamins A, C and other nutrients fight free radical which cause aging and dull skin.
22. Sun Burn
From beautifying our skin to curing sunburns; this wonder vegetable does it all. The okra’s mucilage can be used to treat your sunburns as it soothes and relaxes your skin from all the heat.
23. Treat Gastric Ulcers
Ayurvedic medicines have been using okra to successfully treat gastric ulcers. The strong gastric acids are neutralized due to the fiber, nutrient and phytochemicals present in the okra. The digestive system is given a temporary coating by turning the pH of gastric acids into alkaline.
24. Blood Sugar And Diabetes
A number of studies have proved that lady’s finger juice can help in controlling diabetes for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Its anti-diabetic properties plays a significant role in reducing the blood sugar levels.
25. Healthy Liver
Having okra helps in keeping your liver healthy. Research has proved that the okra extracts can help in keeping your livers damage and disease free. So ensure that you include healthy okra dishes in your daily diets.
Whew!!! Wasn’t that an exhaustive list of okra benefits? After going through this post, we wouldn’t be surprised if your next search is for delicious okra recipes. If you have got some awesome okra recipes, do share it with us.
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