Bitter Gourd Juice Health benefits | How to Make Vegetables Taste Less Bitter

Bitter Gourd Juice Health benefits | How to Make Vegetables Taste Less Bitter

Karela or Bitter Gourd, Bitter Melon has many health benefits. The main being regulate the blood sugar and hence it is very good for diabetic patients.These are few sites that give good information about bitter gourd and home remedies using them.

Ingredients – Makes 1 small glass
1 Karela Big
salt to taste
lime/lemon juice as per taste

Making Method

1. Wash the Karela.
2. Remove the seeds.
3. Cut into small pieces.
4. Puree it in a blender or is you have juicer you can use that. If using blender you can add little water. About 1/4 cup will do.
5. If pureed using a blender, pass it through a sieve.
6. Add salt and Lime/Lemon juice to the collected juice.
7. Serve.

Note: This is really bitter, but the benefits are in this bitter part. I just had drop of it and could not have more my whole food pipe is reacting to it and I can feel the bitter taste all the way down. But if you have Diabeties there is no better home remedy and have it like a tonic.

Recipes

This vegetable is available in two varieties, dark green variety and the oblong pale green variety.The green bitter melons are more bitter, when compared to the white color melons.

For cooking, it is better to choose fresh bitter guard as the old ones tastes even more bitter.

Bitter melons are seldom mixed with other varieties of vegetables due to its strong bitter taste.. The young ones are best for cooking.

In South India, various tasty dishes are made from it, such as pavakkai theeyal, pavakkai fry, pavakkai upperi, pavakkai kolumbu, pavakkai thoran, pavakkai pacchadi, pavakka pickle etc.

Therapeutic Uses

Bitter melon has many therapeutic properites. It is packed with nutrients and health benefits. Due to these constituents, bitter melon is quite widely used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Research studies have shown that bitter gourd contains hypoglycemic principles in it and thus it helps to lowers the blood sugar levels just like insulin.It is useful in reducing hypertension, eye disorder and cough and enchancing digestion, metabolism and immunity. The juice of bitter guard is used for relieving constipation.

Bitter melon is noted to be an effective component in herbal medicine, and the fruit is known to help treat, or alleviate the symptoms of rheumatism and gout and ailments of the spleen and liver.Bitter gourd is a blood purifier, activates spleen and liver and is highly beneficial in diabetes.

Availability in the Market

Bitter Melons are available fresh from April to September in most Asian markets and can occasionally be found in larger supermarkets. They are also available as ayurvedic capsules in the market.

Nutritional Value:

* Vitamin C: 88 mg
* Calcium: 20 mg
* Iron: 1.8 mg
* Carbohydrate: 4.2%
* Phosphorus: 70mg
* Fat: 0.2%
* Protein: 1.6%
* Fiber: 0.8%

Health Benefits of Bitter Gourd :

1. Bitter gourd is used as herbal medicine for diabetes
2. It has hypoglycemic or insulin-like compound, known as “plantinsulin”. It reduces the blood and urine sugar levels. For best results diabetic
should take the juice of about four or five fruits every morning on an empty stomach. Its regular use prevents many complications such as hypertension, eye complications, neuritis and defective metabolism of carbohydrates.
3. Bitter gourd juice is very helpful in treating blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to toxemia, just mix 2 ounces of fresh bitter gourd juice with some lemon or lime juice. Sip it slowly on an empty stomach daily, in 4-6 months you will see improvement in your condition.
4. Bitter gourd juice can help in the early stages of cholera, take two teaspoonfuls juice of bitter gourd leaves mix with one teaspoonful lime juice. Sip this mixture daily till you get well.
5. Bitter gourd can help alleviate eye problems and improving eyesight.
6. Bitter gourd juice is beneficial in the treatment of a hangover because of its detoxifying property. It also helps cleanse, repair and nourish liver.
7. Bitter juice can help increase the body’s resistance against infection.
8. Regular consumption of bitter juice is known to improve skin condition.
9.Regular consumption of two ounces of fresh bitter melon juice, mix with a cup of honey diluted in water may help respiratory problems like asthma and bronchitis.
10. Bitter juice can help prevent leprosy.
11.Bitter gourd stimulates digestion and can be very potent in people with dyspepsia and constipation.
12.Bitter melon is helpful in the treatment of intestinal worms and diarrhea.

Buying Tip:Choose unripe bitter gourds that are firm, avoid those that have turned orange or have soft spots. Ripe bitter gourds are very bitter.

Storage: Store bitter melons in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator. Keeping bitter melons at room temperature or with other fruits and vegetables will hasten the melon to ripen and become more bitter. When stored properly it should keep for three to four days.