Ridge Gourd, Sponge Gourd or Luffa is one of the healthiest green vegetables. It is known to originate from Arabic deserts and spread all over the world. Actually, it is a fruit but is eaten as a vegetable.

If you want to include it in your diet, you need to harvest it at an early stage of development. When gourd is fully developed, it can be used as a scrubbing sponge in bathrooms and kitchens.

Health Benefits Of Patola

Weight Loss

If you are seeking for best solutions to losing weight, then ridge gourd could be an ideal food to be included in your diet. This vegetable is rich in vitamins, minerals, fibers, and low in calories, fat, and saturated cholesterol. Moreover, it is also loaded with water content.

Cancer Prevention

Patola is rich in vitamin C, which is a great antioxidant. These antioxidants are the ones that fight the effects of free radicals, thus helping the body to be stronger.

Research claim that Patola can also help prevent the growth of cancer cells.

Treatment Of Anemia

Ridge gourd is a great source of pyridoxine, a vitamin B6 that is needed in the production of hemoglobin in the blood which helps in carrying oxygen to all cells in the body and mobilizes iron.
Plus, its richness in zinc helps in maintaining the blood process and can be used in the treatment of anemia, a disease that is caused by lack of red blood cells.

Eye Health

According to Medical Science, lots of vitamin A can be found in Ridge gourd. Vitamin A is necessary for eye health and sharper vision.

A research of the National Eye Institute discovered that consuming foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper, and zinc such as ridge gourd can help lessen the risk for macular degeneration.

Diabetes Prevention

As luffa contains lots of manganese, it is useful in preventing diabetes. Manganese plays a role in the production of digestive enzymes which are useful for the process of gluconeogenesis. According to research, manganese helps improve mitochondrial function and promotes insulin secretion.

Healthy Skin

The presence of vitamin C in patola can be beneficial for skin health. Vitamin C helps prevent premature aging and reduces dry skin, and wrinkles. Aside from these, vitamin C also helps in healing wounds quickly as well as in the production of protein to build muscles, skin, ligaments, and blood vessels.