12 Benefits of Drinking Okra Water You Need to Know About

7. Okra water can help lower your blood pressure High blood pressure is known as the ‘silent’ killer and is becoming a prevalent condition across society. Your… Simi - May 24, 2018

7. Okra water can help lower your blood pressure

High blood pressure is known as the ‘silent’ killer and is becoming a prevalent condition across society. Your blood pressure is the measure of the force your blood applies to the blood vessels as it pumps through the heart and around the body. High blood pressure means that excessive pressure is being put on the blood vessels. This makes the heart work harder than necessary which can lead to hardened arteries which cannot function well, a stroke, kidney disease, and eventual heart failure. Very often, people are not aware that they have a problem with blood pressure until it is at a severe level.

High blood pressure is called hypertension. Several factors can cause it. In some instances, it is hereditary, while in others, it begins with poor lifestyle choices (such as excessive drinking and smoking as well as obesity), bad diet and a lack of exercise. Another well-known cause of hypertension is too much salt in the diet.

When there is too much salt in the diet, it disrupts the balance between potassium and sodium in the body, which hurts the kidneys. Overeating salt raises the sodium level in the body. When the sodium level and potassium level are not compatible, it makes the job of the kidneys to filter excess fluid from the blood and send it to the bladder. This can lead to excessive fluid in the kidneys which raise the blood pressure.

While patients with hypertension should decrease their salt intake, and it is also advisable that they increase their potassium intake to achieve the necessary balance between the two in the body. There is a good deal of potassium in okra, which is why okra water is a helpful addition to the daily diet.

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8. Okra water can help with bone strength

The relevant component of okra that is related to improving bone strength is a B Vitamin called folate. Folate is more commonly known as folic acid. Studies have shown a correlation between decreased folic acid levels and weakened bone strength. When someone has a lack of folic acid in their body, elevated homocysteine increases the risk of fractures and breaks.

Homocysteine is an amino acid which means that it is a building block of proteins. And proteins are well-known to be essential to bone integrity. When proteins break down into their original components, there will be increased homocysteine levels in the blood. This is associated with a folic acid deficiency. As a B Vitamin, folic acid is vital for providing energy to the body. Continuous bone building and maintenance requires energy. Bone density is the amount of bone mineral in the bone.

It is tested to determine if a patient has osteoporosis, as lowered bone density causes this condition. Bone density is at its highest during adolescent years but tends to decline steadily after that, with post-menopausal women most at risk. That is why it is important to include foods rich in folic acid in the diet.

Where a person has elevated homocysteine levels, dietary changes can affect these levels. Including more folic acid in the diet will improve homocysteine levels and reduce the risk of fractures. Taking folic acid during pregnancy is also important is it is critical to the development of the fetus’s bones. Okra contains good levels of folate, which means that drinking okra water daily will help to maintain bone density and health.

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9. Okra water can reduce the risk of asthma attacks

The antioxidant properties of vitamins get linked to a reduction in the severity of asthma attacks. People living with Asthma tend to have lower antioxidant levels than non-sufferers. The rate of asthma diagnosis is rising. Researchers suggest that the modern Western diet does not contain enough antioxidants due to fewer fresh fruits and vegetables forming part of it linking it to increased incidences of asthma.

During a comparison between consumers of the Western diet and those that followed a Mediterranean diet which contains more antioxidants, fewer incidences of asthma were observed in Mediterranean diet followers. Therefore, small studies show a link between increased antioxidants in the body and improved asthma control and lung function in asthma sufferers.

Pulmonary and oxidative stress cause asthma, as this causes increased allergic inflammation in the lungs and respiratory tract. An insufficient quantity of antioxidants in the body will mean that it cannot fight the oxidants that are causing asthma. Antioxidants neutralize the free radicals in oxidants which are present in the lungs of people with asthma. The three main antioxidant vitamins are Beta-carotene (Vitamin A), Vitamin C and Vitamin E.

Increasing the consumption of these vitamins mean that the levels of antioxidants in the blood will rise.Antioxidants are also present in the minerals copper, zinc and selenium. These minerals are also found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Okra contains Vitamin C, Vitamin E and Beta-carotene (Vitamin A). It also provides copper and selenium. It is, therefore, a rich source of antioxidants. You can boost your daily intake of antioxidants by including okra water in your diet.

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10. Okra water can help with the treatment of diabetes

First and foremost, it must be clear that okra has some anti-diabetic properties which may prevent the onset of diabetes and which can help to lower blood sugar levels, it is NOT a cure for diabetes. In early 2014, a post on social media claiming that okra water could make diabetes go away and eliminate the need for insulin went viral. View such posts with skepticism. Consult a healthcare professional before taking any drastic steps with regards to a program of treatment and medications.

The consistency of the carbohydrates in okra do help to slow the uptake of sugar into the body. It reduces the rate at which sugar gets absorbed into the bloodstream. That means that sugar that the body would have absorbed during digestion gets eliminated from the body as waste. In people living with diabetes, this can help to even out their sugar levels so that they become more even and less erratic.

For those who are pre-diabetic, there is a chance that introducing okra to the diet can balance the sugar levels out before they reach diabetic levels. Some study, research, and development in this area are in their infancy. You can do more before we can say that okra will replace insulin for the treatment of diabetes. Diabetes can be an inherited condition.

Therefore, if there is a family history of diabetes, it would be a good idea to incorporate okra water into the diet as a preventative measure, although this is not a guarantee that you will not develop diabetes. However, anyone can benefit from the anti-diabetic properties of okra which reduce the absorption of sugar into the body.

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11. Okra water can help eliminate anemia

Anemia is a deficiency of healthy red blood cells in the body. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s organs, muscles, and tissues. When insufficient oxygen gets delivered to the body, the anemia sufferer will experience fatigue and weakness. There are different types of anemia. Each one has its cause. Some are mild, and others are life-threatening. Some are temporary, and others are permanent.

Most commonly, anemia begins when the body doesn’t make enough red blood cells, when the body destroys its red blood cells, or when the body can’t produce enough red blood cells to replace those lost during an episode of bleeding. The red blood cells produced in the body are called hemoglobin. They contain an iron-rich protein. When there is a deficiency in iron in the body, hemoglobin manufacture reduces which can result in anemia. As well as iron, the body needs folate (folic acid) and Vitamin B12 to produce hemoglobin.

These are the most common causes of anemia, although there are others such as aplastic anemia (when the body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells) or hemolytic anemia (when the body cannot produce enough red blood cells to replace those destroyed). If you are suffering from anemia caused by an iron, folate or Vitamin B12 deficiency, you can treat it with supplements.

Okra contains iron and folate and can be used to increase their levels in the blood. Drinking okra water every day may not eliminate the need for supplements to treat mild cases of anemia, but it can reduce supplement requirement. To treat anemia one must consume vitamin and mineral rich diet.

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12. Okra water can help with weight loss

One of the first things a nutritionist or dietician will suggest to someone who wants to lose weight is to eat foods with a low GI. These are foods that are low on the Glycemic Index. The Glycemic Index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on glucose levels in the blood. When food ranks low on the GI, it means that it gets slowly digested and metabolized and causes a lower, slower rise in blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrates are essential to the body, and you cannot cut them out of your diet to lose weight. Carbs are the fuel on which our bodies run. They provide the body with energy so that we can function. But there are ‘good’ carbohydrates and ‘bad’ carbohydrates. ‘Bad’ carbohydrates are high on the GI with a rating of 70 or more. A medium rating is 56-69. ‘Good’ carbohydrates are low on the GI with a ranking of 55 or less.

Potatoes, short-grained rice, and white bread are high on the GI. Orange juice and honey are in the GI’s medium range. Beans, milk, pasta, and fruit are low on the GI and therefore considered healthier. Low GI foods are suitable for people with diabetes as they cause less of a blood glucose rise than high GI foods.

Low GI foods are rated as the most filling and can act as appetite suppressants which is why they have an association with weight loss. They keep the eater satisfied for longer and can also help to control cravings. Okra is a low GI food, which is why incorporating it into the diet can promote and sustain weight loss in the long-term.

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