Lauki juice is beneficial during pregnancy as well. The high vitamin and water content is advantageous and helps in a number of health benefits.

Lauki Juice Side Effects

Lauki juice should not be consumed if the bottle gourd is bitter. It contains a high toxic component known as Tetracyclic Triterpenoid Cucurbitacins which can cause a number of side effects such as vomiting, nausea, diarrhea or gastrointestinal bleeding. In extreme situations, a bitter bottle gourd works as poison may also lead to death.

How to Make Lauki Juice without a Juicer

Many a times, you are in need of necessary appliances to prepare certain food items. There are alternate methods of preparing the same without the use of an appliance. Investing in a juicer is expensive. Here we shall discuss the method of preparing lauki juice without a juicer.

Step 1: Add a small piece of ginger, lemon, mint leaves and honey in a blender and blend it well. You can also crush them finely in a hand crusher or grate them with a grater.

Step 2: Spread a cheese cloth over a bowl and put the pulp inside it.

Step 3: Tightly wrap the cloth to form a bundle.

Step 4: Using both hands, turn and squeeze the cloth and the pulp to extract the juice from the mixture.

In this manner, you can easily prepare lauki juice without using a juicer.

Other Lauki Juice Health Benefits

As mentioned above, lauki juice has a lot of health benefits. Some of them are mentioned below.

• Lauki juice helps in cleaning and maintaining the health of the urinary system and kidneys. It has diuretic effect that is alkalizing and reduces the effect of acidic urine and its burning sensation. It flushes out the excess water content from the body.
• Lauki juice is very helpful in hair growth. It contains essentials nutrients such as vitamin B that stops hair graying and efficiently helps in hair growth.
• Along with hair, lauki juice is also beneficial for the skin. It prevents acne, pimples and other skin disorders. It also prevents premature aging and stops the formation of wrinkles and lines.
• Lauki juice treats constipation and helps in proper digestion. It contains both types of fiber, soluble and insoluble, which treats all digestive system related problems and cures them efficiently. Along with constipation, it also cures diarrhea efficiently.
• It helps in treating the inflammation of liver and reducing it efficiently.
• It successfully combats dehydration and keeps the body cool. It reduces body heat and gives it a cooling effect. During hot days or summer, the body releases excess of water through sweat. Drinking lauki juice on a regular basis keeps the body hydrated and cool at the same time. It also treats other heat related problems such as pimples, ulcers or nose bleeding.
• It keeps the heart healthy by lowering the blood cholesterol level and thus reducing weight.
• Bottle gourd has certain important nutrients, one of them being choline. It is a kind of neurotransmitter which helps in preventing stress and depression and thus improving mental health.
• It is also known to keep the female reproductive system healthy.
• Bottle gourd comes in handy to people suffering from diabetes. It helps to prevent excessive thirst, fatigue or diarrhea.
• Bottle gourd also helps in treating insomnia and helps you sleep better and soundly.
• It helps in the growth and repair of your muscles. It is very helpful for people who are working out on a regular basis and who want to build muscles. It is rich in protein and other natural sugars which build muscles and restore the glucose levels. The carbohydrates lost during the workout are replaced with the consumption of lauki juice.

More Ways to Add Lauki in Your Diet

Lauki is generally not preferred by a number of people, especially children, due to its bland taste. It should be added in the daily diet due to the number of health benefits it offers. There are a number of ways of doing it.

1. Lauki sabzi

Apart from drinking it in the form of a juice, lauki can be made into a sabzi and eaten with chapattis or individually. You can prepare it in the following manner.

You will need: 1 medium sized lauki, 1 medium sized chopped onion, 2 medium sized chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp garam masala, 2 tsp oil salt to taste.

Preparation Step 1: Add oil, ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds and onions in a pressure cooker and let it splutter.

Step 2: Cook the onions until they turn golden brown.

Step 3: Add tomatoes and all the spices and mix well. Do not add salt.

Step 4: Cut the lauki into tiny cubes and add them along with salt to the mixture.

Step 5: Cook with the lid covered until 4 whistles.

Serve the lauki sabzi hot with chapattis and curd.

2. Lauki soup

Another healthy alternative is the lauki soup. With common ingredients and a simple method to cook it, lauki soup is also very delicious.

You will need: 1 medium sized lauki, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped tomatoes, crushed ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, 1 small cup lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation Step 1: Add oil, vegetables and spices in a pressure cooker.

Step 2: Saute for 2 mins and add water to the mixture.

Step 3: Cook until 3- 4 whistles.

Step 4: Do not open the cooker until the steam has escaped.

Step 5: Let it cool after you have opened the cooker. Grind the mixture in a blender to form a thick paste.

Step 6: Place the mixture in a pan and add lime juice and water. Bring to boil.

Add pepper and serve hot.

3. Stuffed lauki

This dish is yet another healthy and biting size delicacy that can be eaten every day in small amounts to get the benefits of lauki.

You will need: 1 medium sized lauki, 50 ml, lemon juice, ½ tsp chili powder, 2 tsp garam masala, 2 tbsp oil, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 1 chopped onion, 2 chopped tomatoes, 3 chopped green chilies, 1 tsp ginger paste, 2 tsp chopped garlic, chopped coriander, 200 gm grated paneer, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation Step 1: After blanching the lauki in boiling water, peel it and split it horizontally.

Step 2: For the marinade, mix lemon juice, chili powder and garam masala. Pour the mixture over the lauki and let it set for an hour.

Step 3: Heat oil, cumin seeds and other ingredients in a pan and stir fry for 5 mins to form the filling.

Step 4: Put the filling in the lauki and tie it with a string.

Step 5: Heat the oven and wrap a foil around the lauki. Bake for 15 to 20 mins.

The lauki is ready to be served. It can be used as a healthy evening snack or a party starter. Serve with a dip or chutney.

These are just a few examples out of the many of adding lauki in the everyday diet. You can experiment and try many more ways.

NOTE - Friends, I am not dietitian or Doctor, I write information here on the basis of my own 25 kilo weight loss experience and sometimes from online research. Please take doctor advice before applying any tip, as each and every human body is different.