One of my fave vegetables - the Bitter Gourd. It is well-known in Asian countries that the juice of bitter gourd is a traditional remedy for controlling diabetes and lowering blood pressure. It is best to use the smaller variety which is much more bitter, and to increase its potency, the leaf tips and seeds are sometimes added in.

For their health benefits, bitter gourd is rich in Vitamins A and C and is an excellent source of carotenoids such as lutene and beta-carotene. This bitter cucumber as is sometimes called, contains Vitamin E that’s supposed to help keep you look young. Vitamin K, the fat-soluble phylloquinone assists in blood calcium regulation and clotting. Besides that, this nutrient also plays an important role in bone health.

In many Asian countries, bitter foods are believed to contain the disease-fighting phytochemicals, have anti-bacterial and cleansing properties of which may be beneficial to health as believed. It is also considered a “cooling” food. Therefore, we would add ginger and meat to balance the cooling effects in our dishes.

There are many ways to cook bitter gourd but the most popular method is to boil the gourd in soup with lots of meat bones. The minerals potassium from gourd and calcium from the bones would leach out into the soup and therefore this makes the soup nutritious and easy absorption.

Diet Info Care’s Tip: To reduce the bitterness, soak in saltwater before cooking.