How Lauki (Bottle Gourd) Can Promote Weight Loss?

Lauki or bottle gourd is one of the most common and nutritious green vegetable which is prepared in the form of various dishes in the Indian food. It is part of the larger biological family of cucumbers.  It is like a bag full of benefits for us. It is of yellowish-green shade and looks very much like a bottle. It contains pulp inside with seeds too. Replete with healing properties it is in a way a wonder veggie. It is consumed in many forms like cooked, boiled, raw or juice. Every time we eat it, we take a step towards becoming healthier. Lauki has several wonderful benefits but it is very popular in its juice for weight loss, digestion improvement, treatment of sleeping disorders, treating liver inflammation, curing urinary tract infections, and correcting sleep disorders. Let’s see how can be helpful lauki juice for weight loss.

Properties of Bottle Gourd

• Lauki is full of 96% water.
• 100 grams of lauki contains only about 15 kcal.
• It has an extremely low fat content of only 1g in a 100-g serving.
• Low in cholesterol
• Low in saturated fats
• High fiber content
• Great source of vitamins C
• Also contains vitamins A, B, E and K
• Contains iron, zinc, manganese, magnesium and thiamine.
• Contains riboflavin
• Good source of calcium
• Good source of iron, potassium, manganese, folate, pantothenic acid, selenium and phosphorous.

Though not much research based evidence supports the relation between lauki and weight loss, but a study conducted on rats which was published in Asia Pacific Journal of Tropical medicine in the year 2012 suggested that lauki minimized weight gain in case of experiments conducted on rats who were being fed a high fat diet. More researches are still on to gather empirical data to support the claim of Ayurveda.

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How to Take Lauki Juice for Weight Loss

1. Lauki is comprised of 96% of its content being water, and water satiates the hunger pangs but does not contribute to weight gain. Being properly hydrated after consuming this juice the body would not even resort to water retention and would stop storing water as a contingency plan and causing our weight gain.
2. Being full of dietary fiber, it aids in digestion; and a properly functioning digestive system is a prerequisite for weight loss. If we consume lauki juice before breakfast, the fiber will fill us up and we would not be so starved that we gorge on the breakfast.
3. The fat content being low, it is very good as a low-fat content of our diet.
4. Being low in cholesterol, it also helps reduce the risk of weight related diseases which are caused by a high cholesterol.
5. The abundance of fiber, vitamins and minerals keep us well fed in all respects after consumption for a while and curb our urge to eat again and again.
6. It is full of anti-oxidants which aid a lot in weight loss.
7. It is also being prescribed in the Ayurveda medicine for improving liver functions. Helping keep the liver healthy, it keeps the digestive system healthy which is very important in our pursuit of weight loss.
8. It regulates our sleep and it is needless to say that a good sleep is very essential for a good weight loss.
9. The juice can accompany a salad bowl or a fruit salad as a snack whenever we feel too hungry.
10. It also helps maintain thee electrolyte balance of our body and hence aids in weight loss properly.
11. The choline helps keep stress at bay and it is a widely known fact that stress leads to spoiling the eating habits which in turn causes weight gain, hence it helps manage weight in a very indirect way.
12. The presence of natural sugars makes lauki juice excellent as a post workout drink to regain the energy we burnt out during exercise for weight loss. The protein also helps keep our muscles going with lesser wear and tear while we chase our weight loss goals.
13. The lauki has a profound diuretic effect in case of many individuals. This makes it ideal to get ourselves rid of excess water retention in our body.

Though lauki is very helpful in fighting off excess weight, but it is advisable to consult a physician to check if it will suit you or not.

[ Read: How Green Tea Can Help You Lose Weight Naturally ]

Lauki Juice for Weight Loss Recipe

The instructions being given below can be used to make a healthy lauki juice very easily:

1. Take a full grown lauki which is not too ripe. Check that by digging a slight dent into the skin of the lauki with a knife or a fingernail. If there comes out any liquid-like substance it would be advisable not to use it.
2. Wash the lauki properly with water or with a vegetable wash as per availability.
3. From the end of the lauki, cut off a small piece and check the taste. If it tastes bitter, it should be avoided. If it’s not bitter, it can be used for our lauki juice.
4. Peel off the outer skin and chop it into pieces. Put the chopped lauki into a blender.
5. In the blender, the lauki should turn into the juice in a while. Add a little water too in the process.
6. Add salt, cumin (jeera) powder and pepper as per choice and taste. Mint leaves or amla (Indian gooseberry) can also be added if you wish. Lemon can be squeezed into this juice to enrich its taste and antioxidant content.
7. Keep in mind not to mix other vegetables along with lauki juice as it might not have a positive effect always.
8. Never strain it before drinking since it will make the juice devoid of the dietary fiber which is a very important component for achieving weight loss using bottle gourd juice.
9. Always drink the juice fresh as it is not suitable for post-storage consumption since it oxidizes quickly once it is prepared.

We can see that even though it is contested, lauki juice has significant benefits for us while we are trying to lose our extra kilos to get fitter, healthier and more attractive. It provides us with a lot of weight loss helping qualities in some way. Moreover, while we consume it for weight loss, it significantly helps improve many other aspects of our health. Thus, it is something worth adding to our arsenal for fighting the extra weight. If not weight-loss, we will achieve many invaluable benefits from the habit of drinking lauki juice.

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