According to the Food Reference website, bitter melon gourd has various names, including bitter melon, bitter gourd, foo qua and balsam pear. This intense-tasting vegetable is often in Chinese and Indian cooking, and preparation varies. You can have it stuffed, curried, pickled, steamed, served in stir-fry or in soups. Garlic or chili peppers often offset the bitter taste. If consumers can get past the bitterness, they will find this unusual gourd has a number of important nutrients.
Calories and Fat
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one cup of cooked, boiled, drained and salted bitter melon gourd has a mere 24 calories and a scant 0.22 g of fat. This low calorie value make it a healthy way to add a unique taste to foods. This vegetable has virtually no cholesterol or saturated fats.
Vitamins
The USDA also advises that one cup of boiled, drained and salted bitter melon gourd has 40.9 mg of vitamin C, 63 micrograms of folate, 120 IU of vitamin A and 6 micrograms of vitamin K. These high values make bitter melon gourd a nutrient-dense food, especially given its low calorie count.
Minerals
Bitter melons gourds are also a mineral-dense food. The USDA reports that one cup of boiled, unsalted bitter melon gourd has 11 mg calcium, 20 mg magnesium and 396 mg potassium. However, this volume of bitter melon has only 46 mg of phosphorus, which makes it a good choice for patients with advanced kidney disease and others who must restrict their phosphorus intake.
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