While juicing cannot be a substitute for your food, drinking fruit and vegetable juices along with a well-balanced diet is good for health. Fresh juices not only clean the system but also have many health benefits besides giving an energetic life. Some vegetables are rich in nutrients like Vitamin C that lose their values on cooking. Such veggies should be eaten raw or as juice. Lauki juice is one excellent choice of juice that offers oodles of benefits.
Bottle gourd or lauki as we call in India is a healthy vegetable, which contains 92% water, and nutrients such as vitamin C, K, calcium, and minerals. Lauki also contains fibres. It is low in saturated fats and cholesterol, and rich in nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, iron, magnesium, etc. It also has anti-oxidation properties along with Vitamin B and C.
Lauki not only keeps our body hydrated but also supports a healthy heart and controls bad cholesterol levels. Bottle gourd juice is also beneficial in many ways. The best time to drink a glass of bottle gourd juice is in the morning. Drink the freshly made juice as it oxidizes fast.
Also Read: 7 Simple Ayurvedic Juices for weight loss
Health benefits of bottle gourd
1. Keeps the heart-healthy
If you have heart problems or you do not, both ways it’s beneficial to drink bottle gourd juice daily. Regular consumption of bottle gourd juice on an empty stomach in the morning helps to lower the blood cholesterol levels and maintain healthy heart functioning.
2. Stabilises the blood sugar level
Bottle gourd juice is very beneficial for diabetic patients as it helps to stabilise the blood sugar level and maintain blood pressure.
3. Treats urinary tract infections and protects against kidney stones
If you suffer from urinary tract infections, try drinking freshly squeezed bottle gourd juice mixed with a little lime juice. It is one of the best home remedies to get relief. Loss of fluids in the body can cause kidney stones and induce or aggravate urinary infections. Drinking lauki juice regularly can break calculus or stones in the body and serves as an alkaline juice to treat infections. It also helps to relieve liver inflammation.
Also Read: 7 amazing home remedies of UTI
4. Cures stomach troubles
If you have constipation problems, it is good to have a bottle gourd juice as and when needed. The juice also treats diarrhoea. The water and the fibre content of bottle gourd helps to clean the digestive tract and allow easy bowel movement. To treat diarrhoea, you can drink bottle gourd juice with a pinch of salt. It helps in maintaining the electrolyte balance of the body. Bottle gourd juice also helps in digestion.
5. Relieves stress
Bottle gourd contains choline, which is a type of neurotransmitter that helps to improve the functions of the brain and also prevents stress, depression and anxiety.
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6. Excellent post-workout drink
Bottle gourd juice serves as a cool natural drink that can be taken post-workout as it contains natural sugar that helps in restoring the glucose levels. It also replaces the carbohydrates that are lost during the workout. Bottle gourd juice is also rich in protein that improves the efficiency of the muscles.
7. Cools the body
The cooling effect of bottle gourd juice on our body helps to hydrate it, especially during summers. It also reduces body heat and keeps the stomach cool. As we sweat a lot during summers, bottle gourd juice helps to replenish the water loss. Bottle gourd juice is also a good remedy for any kind of heat-related problems like nose bleeding, pimples or mouth ulcers, and even heat stroke.
8. Helps in weight loss
Bottle gourd juice is quite beneficial in weight loss. It is loaded with fibre which helps to keep us full for a longer time. The vegetable is also low in calories with no fat. The veggie juice is prescribed in Ayurvedic medicines for flab reduction. Bottle gourd also contains vitamins like Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, potassium, manganese, iron, and folate.
9. Skincare and protection
Bottle gourd cleanses the skin from inside and controls the release of oil on the face. As a result, it regulates acne breakouts caused by excessive sweating and oil generation in summer. It also cures other skin disorders.
10. Relieves summertime SAD
Lauki relieves summertime seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD causes depression because of the heat and longer days. Drinking lauki juice soothes the body and mind. It has diuretic, sedative and anti-bilious properties that cure stress.