If you are looking for a low-calorie vegetable for weight loss, which is highly nutritious, don't look further than okra. Commonly known as Bhindi in the local language, it is also called lady finger in India due to its shape. People either love bhindi for its taste or hate it for its gumminess. But despite how you feel about the vegetable, there's no doubt that okra has many health benefits. From controlling diabetes to helping weight loss, bhindi or lady finger can offer many nutritional advantages. Here's what you should know.  Home Remedy of the Week: How Bhindi, Ladyfinger or Okra Can Lower Blood Sugar in Diabetes.

Okra belongs to the mallow family and is mostly found in places like Africa, the Middle East, South America and India. Bhindi is a common vegetable cooked in almost every Indian household. Most of us who love eating bhindi or okra may not know about its health benefits. As per the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 100gm of okra contains 33 calories, 7.45gm of carbohydrates, 1.93gm of protein, 0.19gm of fat and 3.2gm of fibre. The presence of soluble fibre in ladyfinger helps improve blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure which aids weight loss.

Okra for Diabetes Control

It is very necessary to maintain healthy blood sugar levels to avoid becoming prediabetic or type 2 diabetic. As per the study conducted by the Journal of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research on Nov, 2013 on metabolic disorders in mice, eating okra may help decrease blood sugar levels. Okra is rich in polysaccharides and when mice were fed on it, the vegetable improved their glucose tolerance. According to the American Diabetes Association, non-starchy vegetables, such as bhindi, are low glycaemic index foods and can be eaten by people who have diabetes.

Okra for Weight Loss

Okra is rich in fibre which helps in bowel movement. For weight-loss to happen, it is necessary that our digestive system functions properly and our body gets properly detoxified. Dieticians recommended an average adult to eat at least 15 grams of fibre every day which should include both soluble and insoluble fibre.

Apart from its fibre-rich property, okra also is also a low-calorie vegetable which contains no saturated fat. A 100gm serving of lady finger contains less than 1gm of fat. Calories in fat are the highest compared to other macro-nutrients protein and carbs, as one gram of fat contains 9gm of fat.

Okra for Digestion

As eating okra boosts digestion, it also reduces bloating. The fibre content in lady finger helps the easy movement of food through the digestive system. It removes gas trapped in the stomach and eases cramping. If you suffer from constipation and related gastric issues, eating bhindi will help.

Okra not only helps in weight loss and diabetes, but also possesses anti-cancer properties. It contains the protein lectin, which prevents the growth of human cancer cells.  Therefore, if you are planning to improve your overall health, you must consider adding okra to your diet.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2019 01:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).