Bottle Gourd vs Bitter Gourd: Which is Healthy?

The majority of gourds are pretty healthy because they are packed with essential minerals and nutrients. Due to their high moisture content, gourds account for more than 92 percent of their edible weight. These gourd vegetables have very little fat, and most are healthy for the stomach because of their high dietary fiber content. In addition, vegetables from the gourd family are proven to promote weight loss.

Bottle Gourd

The name "bottle gourd" comes from the fact that it resembles a bottle. This gourd has several health advantages and is particularly beneficial for digestive and cardiovascular health. Lauki is a very well-liked vegetable among health nuts since it makes a great post-workout beverage and is excellent for losing weight. This vegetable is prepared by boiling it and then puréeing it for vegetable soup. Alternatively, you might pressure cook the veggie by sautéing it in an onion-and-tomato sauce.

Bitter Gourd

The bitter gourd is primarily grown in Kerela. Its name comes from the fact that it has a somewhat bitter flavor. This vegetable is well known for helping with diabetes and boosting the immune system. When it comes to gut health, Karela is also highly effective and thoroughly cleanses it. The dry form of karela is frequently prepared by sautéing it with a lot of onions and spices. This vegetable is peeled, salted all over, and set away to get rid of the bitterness.

Health Benefits of Bottle Gourd:

One of the vegetables with the fewest calories, bottle gourd has just 14 calories per 100 g. It is one of the vegetables that dieticians advise eating in programmes to manage weight.

About 6 g of folates per 100 grammes of fresh gourds are present, which is about 1.5% of the RDA. When pregnant women consume folate throughout the first few months of their pregnancy, it helps lower the prevalence of neural tube abnormalities in babies.

A minor source of vitamin C is the fresh calabash or bottle gourd (100 g of raw fruit contains 10 mg, or about 17% of the RDA). One of the potent natural antioxidants that assists in scavenging dangerous free radicals is vitamin C.

Calabash makes it easier for food to be easily digested and moved through the bowels until it is expelled from the body. As a result, it aids in the relief of constipation and stomach issues.

A little amount of thiamin, niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), and minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, manganese, and magnesium are also present in the vegetable.

Even more vitamins and minerals are present in its sensitive leaves and tendrils than the fruit of the bottle gourd.

Health benefits of Bitter Gourd:

Vitamins and minerals are abundant in bitter gourd. Iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A and C are all present. It has twice as much calcium and beta-carotene as broccoli and spinach combined. The bitter gourd has a number of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances.

Polypeptide, an insulin-like substance termed charantin, and bitter gourd both have anti-diabetic characteristics. These elements directly contribute to lowering blood sugar levels. By controlling how the body uses the sugar it has taken in, it also aids in preventing erratic spikes and decreases in insulin levels. The bitter gourd has hypoglycemic properties. Its high soluble fibre content and low glycemic index aid in decreasing blood sugar levels.

It is a top-notch dietary fibre source. Constipation and indigestion are helped by regularly eating bitter gourd. It encourages good gut flora, which helps with digestion and nutritional absorption.

Bitter gourd has little in the way of calories, fat, and carbs. Together, these attributes support weight management. So that you don't overeat, it makes you feel fuller for longer. It prompts the liver to release bile acids, which are crucial for the body's metabolism of fat. In addition, bitter gourd contains 80–85% water, a universal appetite suppressor. It also improves metabolism.