Did it ever cross your mind to check out the numerous health benefits of cucumber? Or have you just been eating the fruit but don’t know a jack of its value for your health?
When you know the medicinal values of cucumber, you’d want to continue eating the lovely fruit.
In this article, we’ve dug up 13 health benefits of cucumber for you. From its juice to its peel and slices, we’ve explored the amazing health benefits of cucumber.
Before then, just like we did with the bitter kola, sugarcane, and ginger, we’ll take a sneak peek into a few insightful facts about the cucumber.
Let’s begin.
The Cucumber – What Is It?
The cucumber is a highly nutritious fruit of the Cucurbitaceae family. Squash and all kinds of melon fruits fall in this category.
It’s commonly grown in India in ancient days. And for centuries past, it was a part of the Mediterranean diet.
Low in fat, calories, sodium, and cholesterol, the cucumber is a nice fruit known for its high water content. Beyond these, people eat it as food, use it as spices, and to treat skin problems.
Nutrients In Cucumber
According to USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), sliced raw pieces of cucumber in a 142g cup contains the following nutrients:
- Water: 137 g
- Calories: 17 g
- Protein: 0.8 g
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrate: 3.1 g
- 0 g of sugar
- Fiber: 1.0 g
- Calcium: 19.9 g
- Iron: 0.3 mg
- Magnesium: 17 mg
- Phosphorus: 29.8 mg
- Potassium: 193 mg
- Sodium: 2.8 mg
- Vitamin C: 4.5 mg
- Folate: 19.9 mcg
- Beta carotene: 44 mcg
- Lutein + Zeaxanthin 22.7 mcg
- Vitamin K: 10.2 mcg
- Vitamins A & B
- Antioxidants
All of these nutrients packed in the cucumber make it highly medicinal. That leads to the next phase of this article.
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The 13 Health Benefits Of Cucumber
In this session, we’ll reveal the 13 amazing health benefits of cucumber to you. Carefully read through each one. In the end, you’d have had one, two, or more ways you’d personally maximize eating cucumber.
1. Enhances Hydration
Cucumber is composed of about 96% water. Water is essential to the body. And taking cucumber provides the right amount of water your body needs to be properly hydrated.
It’s not news that regular intake of cucumber has solved several problems of digestion, metabolism, and body weakness.
2. Aids Weight Loss
Cucumbers are low in calories. So, you don’t need to worry because you can take as much as you want without the fear of adding weight.
With its high water content, the cucumber aids weight loss and increases body strength.
3. Enhances Sleep
The cucumber comprises substances that help sleep and fights insomnia. The struggle with sleeplessness is over when you begin to feed on cucumbers. Interestingly, you’d slip into a blissful atmosphere of sleep with no side effects attached.
4. Strengthens the Bone
Cucumbers are rich in vitamins D and K. It also contains 19.9 milligrams of calcium. Moreover, adults need about 1,000 – 2,000 mg of calcium to keep fit, strong, and healthy.
The nutrients in the cucumber help to increase bone strength. A regular intake of cucumber keeps the bone healthy.
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5. Treats Cancer
Cucumber helps to destroy cancerous tumor cells. Cucurbitacin, a substance in the cucumber, always stops cancer cells from growing. The sliced cucumber in a 133g cup provides up to 1g fiber. Fiber in foods and fruits is a sure method often used to prevent cancer.
6. Treats Cardiovascular Diseases
Cucumbers are rich sources of fiber. And fiber helps to control cholesterol levels and prevent cardiovascular diseases. These are blood vessels and heart-related diseases or condition that is really dangerous. This is because it quickly leads to death when not treated properly.
7. Prevents Diabetes
The cucumber contents include substances that help to prevent and control diabetes. For instance, cucurbitacins in cucumber regulate insulin discharge and the metabolism of hepatic glycogen, a major hormone that processes blood sugar.
In addition to this, cucumbers provide essential nutrients excluding carbohydrates which increase glucose level. That way, it helps prevent diabetes.
8. Deals with Inflammations
Cucumbers are anti-inflammatory. The nutritional values of the cucumber all work together to produce a cure for all kinds of inflammation. Additional facts show that inflammation leads to several other diseases like
- Cardiovascular Diseases
- Depression
- Cancer
- Autoimmune conditions
If you care to deal with all of these and protect your health as much as possible, trust the health benefits of cucumber. And you’ll not be disappointed.
9. Skin Care Solutions
Research proves that cucumber is used to treat skin problems, smoothens the skin, and leaves it shiny.
Here are some ways to use cucumber to treat your skin problems.
- Extract the cucumber juice. Apply on your skin surface and leave it for 30 minutes. This solution helps to naturally beautify, tone your skin, and clean skin pores.
- Mix an equal amount of cucumber juice with yogurt. This solution keeps the skin surface moisturized and fresh all day long.
- To soothe skin, and reduce swelling, and irritation on the skin, directly apply sliced cucumber to the skin surface.
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The health benefits of cucumber juice when it comes to treating skin problems is a great resource you should maximize.
10. Cures Constipation
Cucumber juice has been used to tackle several cases of constipation. It cleanses the bowels and aids the digestion process as well as metabolism.
Cucumbers are an effective natural cure for constipation you can use or recommend.
11. Boosts Immunity
Cucumbers boost immunity. When you take cucumbers regularly, you stand a chance to stay healthy and keep off diseases and sicknesses.
You’ll agree that prevention is better than cure. So, eat cucumber always. It’ll boost your immune system and prevent diseases.
12. Improves Eyesight
Here’s one of the amazing health benefits of cucumber juice. If you want to improve your eyesight and see clearly and sharply, always drink cucumber juice.
Many studies have proven it to be one of the best natural cures for eye problems.
13. Aids Hair Growth
Cucumber juice is one of the well-known remedies to stop hair fall. If you care to grow your hair like a lady, take the cucumber juice and apply it directly to your skin and scalp.
Cucumbers contain sulfur and silicon. They help to maintain hair strength as well as keep it healthy, nice, and fresh.
Wrapping Up
Cucumbers are very useful for our health. Whether you eat it or drink it as juice, you’d enjoy the amazing health benefits of cucumber. You probably have been consuming this fruit without knowing the actual gains in doing so. With this post, you’d want to consume the fruits regularly and be blessed with the numerous benefits.
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God bless for this great article. It is very helpful.