Do you remember the childhood times when you would just scrunch up your nose when your mother told you ‘It’s Bhindi for dinner today’? Little did you know that lady’s finger benefits your health, hair, and skin in many ways.
I’m sure we all have at least one person in our lives who doesn’t like the humble Bhindi or lady finger vegetable, because of its sticky texture or its taste.
The secret is how you cook it. Let me tell you a quick recipe that you must try.
Cut the ladyfingers into little pieces, and saute them in oil or butter over medium heat. Add some caramelized onions to give the tanginess of lady’s fingers a hint of sweetness.
The aroma will fill your heart with happiness, and you will want to eat okra every day.
Table of Contents
Lady Finger Benefits for Health
Let’s move on to the amazing lady-finger benefits that you must know about this vegetable.
Rich in Nutrients
Lady’s finger has an amazing nutrient content. One cup of raw Bhindi contains:
- Calories 33 kCal
- Carbs 7 grams
- Protein 2 grams
- Fiber 3 grams
- Magnesium 14%
- Folate 15%
It contains significant amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, etc. Bhindi calories are low, but it has more fiber and proteins, which makes okra unique from other vegetables.
Boosts Digestion
If you add more ladyfingers to your diet, it will ensure a strengthened digestive system. There are a lot of fibers present in ladyfingers which help the food move through the digestive canal smoothly.
This further ensures a smooth bowel movement and helps reduce gastrointestinal problems like gas, bloating, constipation, cramping, etc.
Lady finger for your stomach will leave you with a healthy digestive system.
Normalizes the Blood Pressure
Bhindi is an excellent source of potassium which is essential for keeping your blood circulation in check. Potassium is necessary to maintain proper fluid balance in the body as it balances sodium.
It also helps to relax the blood vessels and arteries, reducing blood pressure and in turn strengthening the cardiovascular system.
In a way, a lady’s fingers keep your heart healthy and active.
Keeps Your Hunger Pangs in Check
Lady’s finger benefits you in weight loss. Due to the presence of a lot of soluble fibers, lady fingers keep your hunger pangs in check and prevent you from binge eating.
So if you are looking at losing weight naturally and healthily, you may want to consume more and more ladyfingers regularly.
Improves Your Immunity
The richness of antioxidants makes ladyfingers a perfect veggie to keep chronic diseases away from you, as they work to boost your immunity.
The presence of vitamin C helps in the faster production of white blood cells in the body, which fights infections to keep your immunity strong.
Promotes a Healthy Vision
Ladyfinger is a rich source of vitamin A, and other antioxidants like Beta-carotene, xanthein, and lutein that prevent your eyes from getting macular degeneration. These nutrients help delay the onset of cataracts.
In this way, okra promotes a healthy vision for you.
Perfect for Diabetics
Apart from keeping the blood pressure and blood vessels’ health in check, okra also normalizes blood sugar and helps in managing diabetes. It does so by inhibiting carbohydrate-breaking enzymes, increasing insulin sensitivity, and ensuring there are sufficient insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
If you have diabetes, okra is a perfect veggie for you.
You can also consult with an expert diabetologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saifullah Shaikh to learn about foods that are good for controlling diabetes.
Best for Pregnant Women
The vitamin Folate present in okra helps in the production of red blood cells. Research shows that okra has medicinal properties of expanding blood volume. If you are pregnant, you need to have enough folate.
Folic acid deficiency can cause brain development and spinal cord problems in the growing baby. Optimum folate levels should be maintained before, during, and after pregnancy.
Okra is a folate-rich food for your and your baby’s health.
Manages Premenstrual Symptoms (PMS)
Due to its high calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin B6 content, lady fingers help manage the severity of premenstrual symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, headache, abdomen cramps, lower back pain, bloating, and frequent urination.
Treats Migraines
Minerals like lysine, magnesium, and amino acid; are all found in high content in okras. They help in relieving migraine attacks and minimize the occurrence and severity of such attacks too.
Lady Finger Benefits for Your Skin
Repairs the Skin
The carotenoids in the ladyfinger are the essential nutrient that ensures the growth and repair of the skin cells. Improved skin cells reverse the skin damage process. It is fully loaded with antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, sodium, and vitamins A and E that help to tighten and firm the skin.
Let me tell you about how you can make an anti-aging face pack using Okras.
Take 4-5 tbsp of okra seeds. Mix some yogurt, aloe vera gel, and honey. Stir the ingredients well, till it makes a paste. Keep it in the refrigerator for almost 1 hour. Apply it on your face and massage it in circular motions. Leave this mask on for almost 30 minutes. Wash with lukewarm water.
Whitens the Skin
The great thing is, ladyfingers contain Glutathione which is the key nutrient for healthy, glowing, and fair skin. It makes the skin lighten and whiten by reducing melanin in your body.
Just take some ladyfingers and cut them into pieces. Add a grinder with rose water, to make a fine gel. Add flour and mix well. Apply on your face for 15 minutes and massage gently.
Regular use of this face pack will provide a glow to your skin.
Prevents the Acne
If you have acne-prone skin, have no worries at all. Ladyfingers can help you get rid of pimples. They have high levels of vitamins A, C, and many other antioxidants which help to reduce acne scars and skin irritation.
Take some ladyfingers, and cut them into pieces. Add gram flour, milk powder, and lemon juice to them. Put all these in a grinder and make a fine paste. Apply on your face for 15 minutes.
You will notice your skin rejuvenating and pimples vanishing after regular use.
Say Hello to Healthy Hair with Okra!
Lady finger benefits go beyond just eating it. You can use it in many home remedies to get rid of many hair problems.
Frizzy Hair
Lady finger benefits your hair by preventing frizzy hair and controlling curly hair. It provides softer hair and strengthens the hair follicles and roots.
Maintains Shiny Hair
It has power pack nutrients and protein that nourish one’s hair.
You can boil some bhindi in water to allow the translucent gel in the lady finger to mix with the water. Let it cool down and use it as a natural conditioner after shampooing your hair.
You will be surprised to see the results of this natural Bhindi conditioner.
Treats Dandruff
Not only does ladyfinger helps in conditioning your hair but its naturally cooling and re-hydrating properties also moisturize your scalp and prevent dryness and itchiness. It also helps in fighting dandruff and keeps your scalp healthy and strong.
Let’s Wrap Up!
If you have been looking for natural vegetables or fruits that work well for your beauty and can be added to your beauty regimen, you must not miss ladyfingers. It has been in your kitchen forever, so why not make the most use of it?
Lady finger benefits your overall well-being, boosts energy levels, helps you fight chronic diseases and so much more. If you want to know more about how to add more vegetables to your life, make sure to consult a well-known nutritionist in Lahore. You can book an appointment via Healthwire or you can call (042) 32500989.
