Cucumber is one of the most well-known vegetables but it is not unexpected because it has essential properties for the body but also multiple health benefits. Low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals, cucumber is wonderful food in all seasons. To fully enjoy the benefits of cucumber, it is suggested to eat it fresh in salads, in appetizers or to make juices. From the same family as squash or melon, it is consumed as a vegetable while its nature is that of a fruit.

Cucumber also provides minerals and vitamins important for health. Moreover, the benefits of cucumber are very numerous: slimming and beauty ally, anti-stress, anti-water retention. Cucumber has many health benefits! In this article, Let’s take a closer look at all the advantages of this vegetable and how it can help you feel better.

Here is an overview of cucumber’s main components:

Water: Because of this lavishness, cucumber is a refreshing vegetable.

Copper: It is essential for the formation of hemoglobin and collagen (protein used for tissue repair). Enzymes in copper also help defend the body against free radicals.

Fibers: These are favorable for intestinal transit and for lowering blood pressure.

Read Also: 21 High Fiber Foods List – You Must Eat

Magnesium: In addition to engaging in lowering blood pressure, magnesium helps counter the onset of cardiovascular disease. It also has a regulating effect on the blood sugar level.

Vitamin K: This vitamin plays a role in the formation of bones. It is also advantageous for the production of proteins related to blood clotting.

In addition to these ingredients, cucumber also contains

• Sodium
• Phosphorus
• Beta carotene
• Potassium
• Vitamin C
• Calcium
• Proteins
• Lipids
• Carbohydrates

Read Also: Six Essential Nutrients Which Are Important For Your Body

A cup of cucumbers (with the skin) has about (% AJR – Recommended Daily Allowances):

• 6 milligrams of magnesium (4%)
• 152 milligrams of potassium (4%)
• 8 milligrams of manganese (4%)
• 16 calories
• Zero protein, fat, fiber or sugar
• 17 milligrams of vitamin K (22%)
• 3 milligrams of vitamin C (4%)

Here are some health benefits of cucumber:

Cucumber is very beneficial for hydration

Cucumbers are 95% water. If you consume cucumbers especially in summer will hydrate you gently.

Tip: dip a few slices in your carafe of water with half a lemon squeezed and ice cubes to flavor it. You will be even more drive to drink throughout the day.

Cucumber to prevent cancer

With its nutrients, it would fight against the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. It would limit the risk of cancer of the ovaries, breast, endometrium, and prostate.

Like many plants in the Cucurbitaceae family, cucumbers commonly contain cucurbitacins (substances of the terpene family), including cucurbitacin C. These cucurbitacins, are responsible for the bitterness of the plant. They have anti-inflammatory properties and can, in vitro, inhibit the growth of cancer cells, or even destroy them. Unfortunately, seed companies tend to select plants that suppress bitterness, so cucurbitacin C. Difficult under these conditions to rely on its anticancer properties except to bet on old seeds or short and bitter varieties.

Health Benefits of cucumber for skin

Take a cucumber out of your fridge, cut it into thin slices, apply them on the face, leave on for 15 minutes. If this gesture of beauty gives you the feeling that your bags under the eyes are attenuated or that your skin is better hydrated and less irritated, the cucumber is not necessarily for much.

Read Also: How To Moisturize Your Face Naturally

Cucumber is packed with polyphenols which is beneficial for the skin but only in the form of high dose extracts (used by the cosmetics industry). Its performance in its raw state is mainly because the cucumber is cold and very rich in water, which gives it a toning and moisturizing effect. Which will not make you rejuvenate for 10 years!

Read Also: Best Foods To Eat For Clear Skin

Health benefits of cucumber to protect our bones

The equivalent of a cup filled with cucumbers covers about 20% of your daily vitamin K needs. Which the body needs to solidify bones, reports LiveScience. Combining regular consumption of cucumber with foods rich in vitamin D would reduce the number of fractures by increasing the density of bones.

Health benefits of cucumber for heart

Cucumber is rich in potassium and vitamin K. It helps maintain your cardiovascular health. Eating a range of fruits and vegetables of every kind is associated with a reduced risk for several health conditions, like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and fatness.

Potassium is an important part of heart health, in line with the American Heart Association. A study of 12,000 adults, revealed in Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that people who consumed 4,069 mg of potassium daily lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease by 37 % and 49 %, severally, compared to people who took 1,793 mg per day.

Cucumber for weight lose

The chewing of cucumber promotes the release of histamine, which induces satiety but also allows to destock of abdominal fat according to recent work.

Read Also: 4 Ways You Can Use Cucumber For Weight Loss

Japanese researchers have analyzed the masticatory index (MI) of more than 100 common foods. Verdict: With an MI of 3327, cucumber is one of the foods that require the most chewing.  This study also shows that women who often consume foods with a high masticatory index such as cucumber are thinner than those who eat mostly soft foods. To gain more health benefits  of cucumber for weight loss you can consume it in:

• salads
• smoothies
• juices

It can be indigestible

If the cucumber is sometimes difficult to digest, it is probably not because of its fiber content (it is low) but rather the presence in its center of seeds all the more tough that it is picked after maturity. No need to get the cucumber out of the salt to improve its digestibility, it would leak some of the minerals. Instead, remove the central seeds with a spoon, or better, choose the Dutch or beit-alpha varieties, which do not contain them.

Health benefits of cucumber to detoxify your body

Thanks to its high water content, cucumber contributes to the detoxification of the body and the rapid elimination of accumulated toxins. For an optimal effect, add 1 or 2 slices of cucumber to a carafe filled with water.

Cucumber water provokes fat burning and water retention in the body, both by the efficient hydration of tissues and because of potassium. it’s like an electrolyte that boosts lymphatic circulation.

Read Also: 10 Ways To Detox Your Body Naturally

Cucumber controls blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, it is recommended to consume cucumbers regularly. Magnesium, potassium and dietary fiber in cucumbers help regulate blood pressure and prevent cardiovascular disease.

Similarly, vitamin A, vitamin E, and other vitamins and minerals found in cucumber effectively contribute to hair growth and regrowth.

Read Also: High Blood Pressure at age 30 to 40 is dangerous for mental health

A weapon to fight bad breath

Cucumber is a lethal weapon against bad breath problems. This effect is due to the photochemical substances contained in this vegetable that eliminate the bacteria present in the mouth and responsible for bad breath.

A vegetable against stress

If you are stressed or anxious, eating cucumber can also help you fight those feelings. Indeed, it contains pyridoxine, a substance with soothing actions.

For puffy Eyes

Cucumber can help reduce the appearance of puffy eyes. Especially because of the water and caffeic acid that this vegetable contains.

Cucumber helps to prevent or treat headaches

Traditionally, cucumber used as a remedy for natural headaches and a bit like a pain killer because they fight inflammation. Headaches or migraines can be triggered by many things, including dehydration, stress, fatigue, hypoglycemia and nutritional deficiencies.

Many studies show that foods rich in water and magnesium such as cucumbers fight headaches by balancing fluids in the body and preventing dehydration.

How to buy and use cucumbers?

When it comes to choosing the best cucumbers, you have a few options. Look for regular and smaller cucumbers (kirbys bumpier). Kirbys are the type most often used for pickles. When shopping, look for shiny, dark green, firm cucumbers that do not have soft, waterlogged spots. Plan to eat the whole cucumber whenever possible because the seeds contain important compounds and the skin is a good source of vitamin A (choose organic cucumbers, preferably untreated).

The nutritional benefits of cucumber are more available when you buy organic and unpolished cucumbers (especially if you want to eat the skin). Because cucumbers are so dense in water, if they are grown in soil contaminated with pesticides, they will probably retain a lot of chemicals that will eventually be passed on to you. Cucumbers are on the list of “Dirty Dozen” vegetables and fruits gathered by the Environmental Working Group, for this reason, so spend a little more money and buy organic cucumbers when they are available – they always tend to be very cheap.

Cucumbers are often waxed to protect them from bruising during shipping. Even organic cucumbers may have wax, but these are made of less harmful substances. The only wax allowed on organic cucumbers is not synthetic and contains no chemical contaminants.

When storing cucumbers, keep in mind that they are best when stored in very cold temperatures. Keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them, but try to consume them within three to five days. You can either peel the skin if you wish. Especially if they waxed or give a good scrub to the skin (with a brush, a scraping sponge, etc.).

Warning or interactions with cucumbers

Cucumbers seem to be a fairly harmless vegetable and very rarely cause allergies. As mentioned earlier, just buy organic cucumbers.

The Bottom Line:

The health benefits of cucumber are countless. You can include them in your daily routine diet because they are almost harmless. Cucumbers are easy to add to your diet.