Is Bitter Gourd Good For Weight Loss?

Most people look upon bitter gourd with something akin to horror. We cannot blame them since this dark green vegetable with its pretty ridges on the surface is rather bitter like the name suggests. But, it is a fact that bitter gourd offers myriad health benefits. The juice of the bitter gourd or its leaves have a lot of medicinal value. But does bitter gourd help in weight loss?

It is a wonder to many who are cautious about health and fitness that bitter gourd can be used effectively for weight loss. For those of you trying to slim down with a weight loss diet, this vegetable packed with many vital nutrients, minerals and beneficial antioxidants is strongly recommended.

KNOW THE OTHER BENEFITS OF BITTER GOURD!

The bitter gourd or bitter squash comes in two varieties, dark green and light green. This is depending upon the place where they are grown. Bitter gourd may be consumed as a fresh juice first thing in the morning, or you can make a curry out of it or even a pickle .

Let's see in how many ways bitter gourd can help in weight loss.

Controls cholesterol

Controls cholesterol

Bitter gourd helps lower the unwanted cholesterol in the body. This goes a long way in ensuring weight loss by reducing the fat content in the body. Hence bitter gourd is a great vegetable that helps reduce your weight.

Water content

Water content

Bitter gourd is high in water content, which helps to fill up your stomach and prevents you from eating more. Also, water in bitter gourd has almost no calorie content and so bitter gourd helps in weight loss.

Stabilises insulin levels

Stabilises insulin levels

Bitter gourd also helps in stabilising the insulin level in your body. Unstable insulin levels lead to hunger and increased intake of food leading to obesity. Thus, bitter gourd does help in reducing weight.

Flush out toxins

Flush out toxins

Bitter gourd is highly useful to the body's immune system. It helps flush out various toxins from the body that are responsible for obesity. In this way bitter gourd does help in weight loss.

Stimulates liver

Stimulates liver

Bitter gourd helps stimulate the liver in excreting bile juices, which are used for the metabolism of fats in the body. This is again another reason why bitter gourd helps in weight loss.

Calorie control

Calorie control

The calorie content is one of the main reasons for considering bitter gourd for weight loss. It is a vegetable with minimum calorie, which makes it an excellent choice for weight loss. Hence, it is an ideal part of the weight loss diet.

 Improves metabolism

Improves metabolism

In many ways bitter gourd does help in weight loss, especially since it is high in fibre. It helps the digestive system and improves metabolism and hastens weight loss.

Story first published: Thursday, February 6, 2014, 17:23 [IST]
Read more about: fitness diet