Cucumbers are popular vegetables all around the world. Their refreshing taste quenches thirst and offers potent cooling properties. Cucumbers have a cylindrical shape, a pale green and juicy flesh, and a green skin similar to the one of watermelons. They actually belong to the same family, along with zucchini and squashes.
They have an impressive amount of water (about 96%) which is naturally distilled, and their skin contains high levels of vitamin A. This veggie is also a rich source of alkaline-forming minerals which prevent disease and bacteria.
Cucumber is a great source of vitamin A and C, potassium, phosphorus, folate, manganese, molybdenum, silica, sulfur, and lesser amounts of vitamin B complex, sodium, and calcium.
Namely, a cup of unpeeled cucumbers contains about:
- 16 calories
- Zero protein, fat, fiber or sugar
- 17 milligrams vitamin K (22 percent DV)
- 152 milligrams potassium (4 percent DV)
- 8 milligrams manganese (4 percent DV)
- 6 milligrams magnesium (4 percent DV)
- 3 milligrams vitamin C (4 percent DV)
The presence of caffeic acid prevents water retention, and their topical application reduces puffy and swollen eyes.
According to Jillian Levy, CHHC:
“Cucumbers also have some impressive benefits when it comes to fighting free radical damage and inflammation. They contain some powerful polyphenol compounds that can help naturally slow aging caused by oxidative stress.
After investigating the potential free radical-scavenging abilities of cucumbers, researchers from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Haryana, India, report that within cucumbers “the presence of flavonoids and tannins in their extract, as evidenced by preliminary phytochemical screening, suggests that these compounds might be responsible for free radical scavenging and analgesic effects … Regular consumption of natural antioxidants from vegetables, fruit, tea, and herbs may contribute to a shift in balance toward an ample antioxidant status.”
Cucumbers have a myriad of health benefits, such as:
- Cucumbers lower the uric acid levels in the joints and thus prevent inflammation and conditions like gout, arthritis, and asthma.
- The juice of cucumbers is a potent diuretic that eliminates waste through the urine and helps the dissolution of kidney stones.
- Cucumber juice is rich in alkaline minerals that regulate the pH of the blood and treats gastric and duodenal ulcers.
- This juice regulates blood pressure due to the minerals it contains.
- Rub cucumber juice on the sunburns to cool the area and soothe the skin.
- It fights water retention, as it supplies the body with the necessary electrolytes and restores hydration of the body cells.
- Cucumbers are high in silica that helps the proper construction of connective tissues in the body as in the bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.
- Cucumber juice normalizes body temperature, so it calms fever and is a tasty cooling drink you can have during the summer
- Lie down, and place two slices of cucumber on the eyes for 10 minutes, to reduce the puffiness.
- Cucumbers are rich in vitamin C which improves skin health and helps in the treatment of skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne, etc.
- Cucumber juice is rich in sulfur and silicon, which boost hair growth.
You should always consume organic cucumbers. Otherwise, make sure you always peel their skin before consumption. To retain the freshness of the cucumbers, store them in the fridge, or if they have been cut, wrap them up or keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge.
