There’s no doubt at all that karela – or bitter gourd – isn’t one of the worlds favorite vegetables. That word “bitter” tells us why.
Yet it’s universally acknowledged that this pungent tasting veggie is one of the most nutritious that anyone can add to their diet, and if you can get past it’s taste, then consuming it regularly will do great things for your whole health – including weight control.
Bitter gourd juice contains a train of important nutrients ranging like iron, magnesium, potassium and vitamin C. In addition to these minerals and vitamins, it is also an abundant source of fiber.
Perhaps most importantly, when it comes to weight loss it’s been shown that karela is one of nature’s true gifts. A 2010 report published in the Journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, showed that extracts of bitter gourd helped in the dislocation of human fat cells and also hindered the formation and growth of new fat cells. It was further concluded that bitter gourd can be viewed as a natural agent for treating obesity.
So perhaps we should all be treating this Asian vegetable with a lot more respect? Read on to learn why…
How Does Karela or Bitter Gourd Juice Help In Weight Loss
1. Regulates Insulin: Karela juice is an excellent beverage for diabetics. Bitter gourd helps regulate the blood sugar level in your body. Stabilised blood sugar levels eventually help in weight loss. Bangalore-based Nutritionist Dr. Anju Sood explains, “Karela juice makes your insulin active. When your insulin is active, your sugar would be used adequately and not convert into fat, which would inevitably help in weight loss.”
2. Low-calorie Veggie: Bitter gourd is low in calories, fat and carbohydrates. You would be surprised to know that 100 grams of bitter gourd has only 34 calories. It is also low on carbohydrates and fats.
Bitter gourd is low in calories
3. Rich in Fibre: Bitter gourd is rich in soluble fibres. It is said the the fibre in bitter gourd pods amounts to 10 percent of recommended daily value intake. Fibre-rich foods induce the feeling of fullness. Since fibre takes long to digest, you feel full for a longer span and tend to binge less. Bitter gourd is also filling because it is high in water – about 89 to 94 percent of its weight is just water, which also makes it an excellent summer vegetable….
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I’m certainly going to be trying this new food over the coming weeks. Sure, it may be an acquired taste, but if it’s even half as effective as the research and anecdotal evidence suggests then it’s got to be a no-brainer, don’t you think?
How about you – have you tried karela for yourself? If so then please comment below and let us all know how you got on with it. We’d really love to hear your views.