11 Health Benefits Of Eating Cucumber Daily

Nutrition

oi-Amritha K

By Amritha K

Monday, May 13, 2019, 16:55

Crunchy, juicy, fresh and healthy - these are some of the terms one can use to describe cucumbers! They can be eaten as a snack, added to your salads or in a sandwich or can be added to your smoothies. Extremely healthy and refreshing, cucumbers are rich in water and can provide fantastic benefits to people who are looking to lose weight ^[1] .

Fun fact, did you know that cucumber is actually a fruit and not a vegetable. This fruit cum vegetable help eliminate toxins from the body and improves your overall health significantly. Cucumber belongs to the same family of squash, pumpkin and watermelon; and consists of 95 per cent water that help keep you hydrated ^[2] .

Scroll down to explore the amazing impact cucumbers can have on your body if consumed on a daily basis.

Nutritional Value Of Cucumber

100 grams of the crunchy vegetable-fruit has 16 calories energy, 0.5 g dietary fibre, 0.11 g fat, 0.65 g protein, 0,027 mg thiamine, 0.033 mg riboflavin, 0.098 mg niacin, 0.259 mg pantothenic acid, 0.04 mg vitamin B6, 0.079 mg manganese and 0.2 mg zinc ^[3] .

The remaining nutrients present in cucumber are as follows:

• 3.63 g carbohydrates
• 1.67 g sugars
• 95.23 g water
• 1.3 mcg fluoride
• 7 mcg folate
• 2.8 mg vitamin C
• 16.4 mcg vitamin K
• 16 mg of calcium
• 13 mg magnesium
• 24 mg phosphorus
• 147 mg potassium
• 2 mg sodium

Health Benefits Of Cucumber

Packed with nutrients such as Vitamin K, Vitamin B, copper, potassium, Vitamin C and manganese, consuming cucumber help avoid nutrient deficiencies and reduce the risk of chronic diseases; due to the presence of unique polyphenols and compounds ^[4] , ^[5] , ^[6] , ^[7] , ^[8] .

1. Reduces stress

Cucumbers are rich in vitamins, especially vitamin B complex which include vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7. These vitamins work together in relaxing your nervous system and help provide relief from the panic attack and stress-induced anxiety.

2. Manage weight-loss

Cucumbers have become a necessary fruit to add to your weight loss diet plan. You need to remember that only eating cucumbers will not help in weight loss. However, consuming cucumber helps as it does not promote any weight gain and limits you from snacking on junk foods.

3. Improves brain health

Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory flavonoid that is great at promoting brain health. The flavonoid help boosts the connectivity of your neurons, thereby improving your cognition. It will not only help in taking care of your memory but also will protect the nerve cells from age-related damage.

4. Improves digestion

Cucumbers are rich in both soluble fibre and water. Start a healthy habit by adding cucumbers in your salad with sesame seeds and apple cider vinegar. This is great for your digestive system as it helps prevent acid reflux. Cucumbers will also help reduce the pH levels in the stomach and will help combat constipation too.

5. Protects heart health

Cucumbers contain high levels of potassium, which is great at regulating blood pressure. Potassium acts as an electrolyte that helps regulate cellular functions. It also aids in taking care of the nervous system, muscle contractions, and cardiac functions as well. Also, the fibre content in cucumbers helps prevent the build-up of cholesterol in the arteries and prevent arterial blockages.

6. Improves bowel movement

One of the major benefits of regular consumption of cucumber is that it helps support regular bowel movements. Rich in water and soluble fibre content, cucumbers help improve stool consistency, prevent constipation, and help maintain regularity. It could also help increase bowel movement frequency while feeding the beneficial bacteria of the gut ^[9] .

7. Eliminates toxins

Cucumbers are rich in water, making it a natural remedy to deal with dehydration or tiredness. Likewise, this nutritional property of cucumber makes it beneficial in getting rid of unwanted toxins present in your body.

8. Reduces cancer risk

Rich in antioxidants which help block oxidation that produces free radicals which can lead to several types of chronic illness, cucumber can be pointed out as being beneficial in preventing the onset of cancer. The detoxification property along with that of the antioxidant property of cucumber fights off the radical cells present in your body.

9. Improve kidney health

One of the other major benefits of consuming cucumber on a regular basis is that it helps lower the uric acid levels in your system, thus keeping your kidneys in good shape. It is also considered to be a natural remedy for cleansing kidneys, as it flushes out debris and dissolves small kidney stones.

10. Heal stomach ulcer

Cucumber eating benefits go deep down into the system. When it comes to stomach ulcers, the cooling property of the cucumber does a wonderful job. The alkalinity of cucumber helps heal stomach ulcers. Up to two glasses of cucumber juice can be consumed daily to get relief ^[10] .

11. Regulates blood pressure

Loaded with fibre, potassium and magnesium; cucumber has gained a reputation of being very helpful in keeping blood pressures under control. Be it high blood pressure or low blood pressure, the cool cucumber is beneficial in both conditions ^[11] .

Healthy Cucumber Recipes

1. Cucumber, tomato & avocado salad ]

Ingredients ^[12]

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon chilly powder
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and chopped

Directions

• Whisk oil, vinegar, orange zest, salt, honey and chilly powder in a large bowl.
• Add cucumber and toss gently.
• Cover and let marinate for 15 minutes.
• Add in the tomatoes and avocado.
• Mix and serve.

2. Watermelon cucumber slushie

Ingredients

• 5 cups frozen watermelon cubes
• 1 cup chopped fresh cucumber
• juice of 2 limes
• ½ cup of cold water

Directions

• Blend together all ingredients until smooth.
• If the mixture isn't coming together, add a little extra water.

3. Fruit & cucumber relish

Ingredients

• ¾ cup coarsely chopped orange segments
• 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
• ½ cup chopped cucumber
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

• Combine the strawberries, orange segments, cucumber, onion, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, orange juice, honey and salt in a medium bowl.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Side Effects

• Cucumber contains toxins like cucurbitacins and tetracyclic triterpenoids that can adversely affect your health ^[13] .
• Too much of the water-rich fruit can leave you dehydrated due to the presence of cucurbitacin.
• The high vitamin C content may act as a pro-oxidant.
• May cause sinusitis ^[14] .
• The diuretic nature of these veggies will trigger frequent urination.
• Cucumbers are good sources of fibre, therefore uncontrolled consumption could leave you bloated ^[15] .

Infographic references ^{[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]}