🥒 Bottle gourd, also known as lauki, sorakaya, or calabash, is a versatile vegetable with a long history in both culinary and medicinal traditions. Here's a quick dive into what makes it special:
Water content: Over 90%, making it super hydrating
Low in calories: ~15 kcal per 100g
Rich in nutrients: Vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber
Supports digestion: High fiber helps with constipation and gut health
Aids weight loss: Low calorie and high water content make it ideal for slimming diets
Heart-friendly: Contains potassium and magnesium, which help regulate blood pressure
Cooling effect: Traditionally used to reduce body heat, especially in Ayurveda
May help with diabetes: Shown to lower blood sugar in animal studies
Cooked in curries, soups, and stir-fries
Used in sweets like lauki halwa
Juiced for detox and hydration (but never drink bitter-tasting juice, as it can be toxic)
