Dhoodi, popularly called bottle gourd is a very common Indian vegetable eaten in all regions of India. What better way to help detox and feel refreshed with a class of gourd carrot ginger and lemon, the first thing in the morning. Try it and would are sure to love it.

Gourds are

• Low in Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol
• High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Zinc, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese. Note that Wax Gourd is high in Sodium.

The nutritional value of gourd makes it suitable for:

• Maintaining optimum health
• Weight loss

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup bottle gourd peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 inch piece ginger
• 3-4 mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Sugar and salt to taste

Note: You can also add 1/2 cup of chopped beetroot, it tastes fantastic and adds to the iron content as well.

Method
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth, adding 1 cup of water to make a fine puree. Transfer to a decanter, add 2 more cups of water, add more or less to suit your desired consistency. Adjust the salt and sugar levels to your taste and stir.

Serve cold. Best had early morning to help detox.

Alternatively, you can use a juicer to extract the juice from the carrots and gourd, but the pulp value is lost and you will have to use a lot more of the gourd and carrot to get the desired quantity.