Do you know that most people take cucumbers to be vegetables? This is especially because they are used to garnish vegetable salads when they are mixed with cabbages, carrots, sliced boiled eggs and so on. The cucumbers are actually juicy fruits! Cucumbers are widely cultivated creeping vine plant in a family of plants called cucurbitaceae gourd family. They are actually having the shape of gourds.
So, the cucumber (cucumis sativus) is an annual plant with three main varieties which are slicing, pickling and burpless cucumbers. The types of cucumbers we have are the Armenian or snake cucumbers, Japanese cucumbers, Kirby cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, Persian cucumbers and the wild cucumber.
I want to bring to your knowledge that the fruit originates from south Asia but currently grows on most continents of the world. Cucumber fruit contains 95% of water with a hard outer rind and no internal divisions as fruits like oranges have. As said earlier, the cucumber is perceived as vegetables by the majority probably because they have much semblances with tomatoes and squashes but they are actually fruits.
Do you know that eating cucumbers have a whole lot of benefits to the consumer’s health? I am going to discuss some of the health benefits of eating cucumbers below.
Top 20 Awesome Health Benefits Of Eating Cucumbers
However, you may ask what are the awesome health benefits of eating cucumbers?
Here Are The Top 20 Awesome Health Benefits Of Eating Cucumbers
1. Super High In Nutrients
cucumbers are naturally low in calories but high in vital nutrients that are mostly required by the body. A 300 gram cucumber (average size) contains calories, no fat, carbs, proteins, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium and manganese, sodium, phosphorus, folate, beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin etc.
So, it is discovered that peeling the cucumber before eating will relieve it of most of its fiber contents and some minerals which are very useful to the body. It is hence more advisable to consume the cucumber without peeling off its outer layer if one were to derive maximum dose of all nutrients it has to offer.
Cucumber as said earlier contains 95% of water. They can easily help one replace amount of water lost in the body and in the composition of the blood.
So, consuming cucumbers will ensure maintaining the amount of water in the body that is needed. It also helps in diluting the urea in the body and passing it out easily as urine, making metabolism easier.
3. Promotion Of Excretory Function
The body needs to perform bowel movements regularly to remove toxin and waste matters from the body whose prolonged presence in the body system could lead to serious complications. Cucumbers contain fibers which help to bundle up the stool and ease the bowel movement and improve the frequency.
This means that they particularly aid those who find it hard visiting the toilet. The pectin present in the cucumber also speeds up the movement of the intestinal muscles and feeds the good bacteria in the gut that improve digestive health.
4. Lowering Of Blood Sugar
For lowering the blood sugar, tests have made it possible to discover that cucumbers actually have the ability to control and reduce the levels of blood sugar.
This is a good deal for those who have diabetes because cucumbers’ regular eating at prescribed levels can weigh down the effects of diabetes mellitus especially when focused on consuming the greenish/yellowish outer part or the peel.
5. Aids In Weight Loss
Excess weight gains in people could be the cause of a lot of negative medical conditions. We know that conditions such as obesity will definitely cause issues such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. cucumber can aid in weight loss because they are so low in calories and thus, they can be eaten and eaten without fear of being excessive so as to cause weight gain.
Secondly, the high water content in the cucumber actually aids weight loss because the water content have the ability to dissolve fats especially during aerobic processes. Moreover, research carried out on 3,628 people made the findings that eating foods with high water content and low calorie help in weight loss.
6. Prevents Autoimmune Diseases
The antioxidant nature of the cucumber can save one from a lot of autoimmune diseases. Antioxidants are molecules that block oxidation which means a reaction that forms highly reactive atom with unpaired electrons known as free radicals. These free radicals when accumulated will lead to several illnesses in the body.
In fact, the presence of these radicals have been associated with the formation of cancer and heart, lungs and many pother autoimmune diseases. Hence, the consumption of cucumbers will prevent oxidation in the system that promotes the formation of the free radicals.
7. Great Digestive Properties
Eating some quantities of cucumbers twenty minutes before or after the meal will aid in digestion. The cucumber fights against constipation that leads to discomfort in the guts and burping. Cucumbers without a doubt aid the process of digestion of foods consumed.
8. Bone Health
Vitamin K and Vitamin D that are highly present in cucumber aid in the process of blood clotting and bone marrow formation. They also contain calcium that provides the strength that the bones need to maintain good skeletal composition and structure.
9. Cardio-Vascular Support
The American Heart Association asserted that fiber can aid to manage cholesterol levels and prevent related cardiovascular problems. The cucurbitacin compounds that are found in the cucumber will help manage the heart health and help to prevent atherosclerosis.
10. Skin Goodness
Some researchers made it known that when sliced cucumbers are applied directly to the skin, it will help cool the skin, reduce swelling and improve smoothness. This is why we see that the slices are placed on the patched area of the skins in spas to improve its appearance.
Cucumber is cosmetic in nature and helps the skin from effects of sunburns and when placed on the eyes, they help reduce puffiness. They are also used as skin toners when the juice is applied for 30 minutes on the skin to reduce pores or when mixed with yoghurts to remove blackheads.
11. Supports Pregnancy
When pregnant women consume cucumbers, it aids in all processes of the total formation of the baby in the womb. The baby is formed healthily without any defects due to the folate present in the cucumber. This is very good for both the mother and the unborn baby.
12. Prevention Of Bad Breath
There are bad bacteria in the mouth that causes bad breath especially that are perceived when one wakes up early in the morning. If one were to cultivate the habit of eating cucumbers as the last snack before one goes to bed, the morning stench of the mouth will be exterminated. The presence of the phytochemicals in the cucumber will terminate the bad breath causing bacteria from the mouth.
13. Maintains Hair And Nails
The silica present in cucumbers are very good in nurturing the hairs and nails. They keep the hair firm to their roots and keep the nails firmly attached to their base. Thus, cucumbers prevent the hairs from breakages and not only that, it prevents the nails from becoming brittle.
14. Reduces Cancer Risks
Colorectal cancer are highly prevented by the regular intake of fiber of which fortunately, the cucumber is very rich in. the cucurbitacin which is also very present in cucumber possesses anti-cancer properties, hereby preventing the possibility of being afflicted with cancer.
15. Protection Of Brain From Neurological Disorders
As an anti-inflammatory substance, cucumber contains fisetin which has the role of reducing the age-related neurological diseases on the brain function. It also helps to maintain the cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
16. Relief From Pain
Flavonoids are contained in cucumber and also tannins. They function in the body are limiters of the release of free radicals in the body which in turn reduces the pain in the body from any part of the body.
In fact, cucumbers have been found very effective against headaches because its seeds are cooling and diuretic in composition.
17. Detoxification Of The Body
Toxins are wastes which the body would on a good day, find a means to expunge out of the body system. Sometimes, toxins can accumulate in the body due to dysfunction of one part of the body or the other or hormones which are saddled with this responsibility of performing this task.
However, cucumber will help one to cleanse the body system of toxins. Most people pair it with lemon as juices mixed together to detoxify the body.
18. Energy Booster
Due to the presence of Vitamin B in cucumber, it gives an outburst of energy. Deficiency of Vitamin B in the body usually results in fatigue, stress, irritability and poor concentration. Drinking the juice or eating cucumber ensures that the body is supplied with enough vitamins.
19. Improves Sleep
Delhi-based Nutritionist, Anshul Haibharat claims that cucumber aids the person to have a good sleep cycle because it calms the nerves, reducing the body’s anxiety and stress.
20. Cooling Off The Body
Since the cucumber is very high on water content, it helps in cooling off the body. The cucumber is some sort of a coolant to the body as it helps people with good water retention and by the way, it is a pleasant cool drink for the hot summer with the ability to lower the body temperature on hot days as an ice-cream would function.
Now, you have seen that eating cucumber has so many great health benefits beyond these above mentioned ones. The eater is to note that every fruit has its own particular function when in-taken to the body even though there could be similarities in the goodness of what one fruit can offer and another.
What is certain however, is that cucumber is one of the most highly rated fruits which affects the health of the consumer and not just its refreshing or food beautifying abilities.