Friday, July 06, 2012

Strange veggies in the supermarket

Bitter melon

One can see a lots of strange vegetables and fruits in the supermarkets of Doha . Especially at the Indian food section . This strange looking vegetable is called bitter melon .It comes in many shapes and colors .This one which looks like a warty cucumber is the Indian variation . Its health benefits are numerous : it is antimalarial ,cardioprotective , it lowers blood glucose concentrations by acting on peripheral tissues . It is similar to insulin's effects in the brain, it suppresses appetite .
Be careful if you are pregnant - the seeds can cause abortion .Also for those who suffer from favism /Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency -the seeds are extremly dangerous .This G6PDH enzym deficiency is a common disease in the middle east .Be careful when eating from this .

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