6 Good And Healthy Reasons To Eat Bottle Gourd

Bottle gourd is a fruiting vegetable that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is cultivated in the Indian subcontinent and other regions of the world. It is loaded with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and dietary fibers, etc, and provides numerous health and beauty benefits.

Long melon, suzzon melon, and Tasmania bean are some other names given to bottle gourd.

Once dried, bottle gourd can also be used as bottles, pipes, and utensils.

# Aids In Weight Loss

The low calorific value of bottle gourd makes it very beneficial for individuals who are on a weight loss regime and would like to get rid of some extra pounds.One can enjoy bottle gourd without the guilt of excessive calorie load as 100 grams of bottle gourd only provides 14 calories of energy.

Dietary fibers in bottle gourd provide satiety to the stomach and thus controls overeating which is a major cause of obesity. Around 92 percent of bottle gourd is water that improves metabolism, aids digestion, and controls weight gain, and further helps the weight loss program.

# Keep Our Digestive System Healthy

Consuming bottle gourd improves our digestive health and is beneficial for our stomach.The laxative properties of the dietary fibers in bottle gourd improves bowel movement and ensures smooth elimination of stool from the system. This relieves constipation and other gastrointestinal problems like abdominal pain, gas, bloating and flatulence, etc.High water content (around 92 percent) in the bottle gourd also improves digestive health as it promotes digestion and smooth bowel movement.Vitamin C and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols in the bottle gourd protect our digestive system from free radical damage and minimizes the risk of several cancers like abdominal cancer, pancreatic cancer, intestinal cancer, and stomach cancer, etc.

# Provides Cooling Effect

Consuming bottle gourd keeps us well hydrated and also provides a cooling effect because of its high water content (around 92 percent).

Water plays an important role in keeping us healthy as it is needed for various biological and cellular functions like providing moisturization to joints and tissues, improving metabolism, preventing dehydration, assisting digestion, maintaining the health of vital organs like liver and kidneys, etc.Our water is made up of around 60 percent water, and for organs like lungs and kidneys, it is even higher than 80 percent.

# Helps In Treating Urinary Tract Infection

The diuretic properties of the bottle gourd help in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections. Because of its diuretic properties, it increases the frequency and flow of urine and thus helps in the removal of toxins, pollutants, excess fluids, excess salts, and other unwanted substances from the body. This improves our renal health and reduces the risk of urinary tract infection.Diuretic properties of bottle gourd are even more beneficial for individuals who find it difficult to pass urine efficiently.

Vitamin C and other antioxidantal compounds like phytonutrients and polyphenols in the bottle gourd protect the vital organs like the liver and kidneys from free radical damage. Dietary fibers also help with detoxification and further improves our renal health.

# Reduces The Risk Of Insomnia

Sleep plays an important role in our well-being as our body and brain perform various functions even during the sleep stage. Quality of sleep is more important than quantity of sleep, and not getting enough sleep or quality sleep can give rise to various health problems like increased risk of cardiovascular problem, increased risk of hypertension, increased risk of diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases, etc.

The rich nutritious profile of, bottle gourd helps in getting quality sleep and reduces the risk of insomnia and other sleep disorders.Vitamin B complex in the bottle gourd provides relief from stress and anxiety and allows us to enjoy quality sleep.Other nutrients like zinc, iron and magnesium, etc in the bottle gourd also improve sleep quality. Drinking a fresh bottle of gourd juice added with few drops of sesame oil is beneficial against insomnia.

# Keeps Us Hydrated

Consuming bottle gourd keeps us hydrated because of its high water content ( around 92 percent).Water plays an important role in keeping us healthy as it is required for various biological and cellular functions. Bottle gourd helps control extreme thirst and replenish the lost water in the body. It also improves the functionality of vital organs like living and kidneys that contains more than 75 percent water.