BM #64 Week 2 Day 1 -
This week as part of BM #64, I have chosen to post a two day Bottle gourd detox diet as explained by my dietitian friend, Pooja. I shall outline the rules and the diet plan with a couple of recipes from the plan today. The next two days I shall blog one recipe each.
According to the dictionary, 'Detoxification' is the process of removing toxic substances or qualities. As I understand from reading various articles on this topic, our body has been built in a way that it takes care of all the detox needs naturally.
But then why this hype about Detox, detox foods and detox diets, you ask. I am no expert on this topic but my understanding is these detox diets take care of improving and optimizing the function of our body’s own detoxification systems.
Essentially high water intake, total elimination of processed foods, alcohol, increased intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, reduction of salt is the mantra for detox.
Also we need to recognize and understand the purpose of detox for our bodies. My friend says, in her practice, she recommends a detox diet for people who are maintaining their weight management goals but need help in correcting any slip-ups, so to say. It is especially true when one has to deviate from the regular healthy eating patterns owing to festivals, parties or other important life events.
She recommends that this Bottle gourd diet be done for 2 consecutive days a week, typically on Mondays and Tuesdays assuming the weekends were the 'deviant days'. This regimen, she says, will help keep your weight management goals in line. This is also of great help with issues like bloating, water retention and the like.
Most of us under estimate the power of Bottle Gourd / Doodhi / Lauki / Sorakaya / Anapakaya. It is extensively used in Ayurveda and Naturopathy.
I cannot emphasize enough that these diets are not for everyone and must be undertaken under a doctor's supervision.
Let us get into the nitty-gritties of this diet ..
Rule 1 - Drink at least 8-10 glasses of water in a day
Rule 2 - Avoid regular salt, use Saindha Namak (Saindhava Lavanam or Himalayan pink rock salt)
Rule 3 - No other Nuts, Vegetables, Fruits or dairy products other than specified in the plan.
Rule 4 - Stay away from citrus fruits and berries.
Day 1 and Day 2
Breakfast - Bottle Gourd Juice
Mid Morning Snack - Fleshy Fruits like Papaya, Water Melon or Cantaloupe
Green Tea with no additives (Optional but recommended)
Lunch - Bottle Gourd Pulp - Wheat Bran Roti with Bottle Gourd Raita
Evening Snack - Fleshy Fruits like Papaya, Water Melon or Cantaloupe
Dinner - Bottle Gourd Kheer or Bottle Gourd Sabji with Peanut
For Day 1, I have provided the link to the breakfast Bottle Gourd juice and so let us look into the lunch menu.
Recipe Source Pooja
Ingredients -
For Bottle Gourd Pulp - Wheat Bran Roti -
Bottle Gourd Pulp 2 Tbsp (Got after straining the bottle gourd juice made for breakfast)
Wheat Flour 2 Tbsp
Wheat Bran / Oat Bran 2 Tbsp
For Bottle Gourd Raita -
Bottle Gourd, peeled, chopped and boiled 1/2 cup
Low Fat Yogurt 3/4 cup
Saindha Namak as needed
Pepper and Cumin Powder as needed
Method Of Preparation -
For Bottle Gourd Pulp - Wheat Bran Roti -
Mix the wheat flour, bottle gourd pulp and wheat bran along with warm water. Knead into a soft dough.
Cover and set aside for 5 min.
Heat the griddle/tawa.
Pinch the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each of them into a thin circle (roti).
Gently place the dough circle on the hot griddle.
After bubbles appear, flip it and after a few seconds, cook it on a flame directly or on a phulka griddle. This ensures that the roti puffs out resulting in a soft roti.
Cover in a paper lined box and make another roti.
For Bottle Gourd Raita -
In a bowl, mix the boiled bottle gourd, yogurt, saindha namak, pepper and cumin powder. Whisk well and serve.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 64.
Preparation Time 20 min
Serves 1
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