Mere looking at cucumber, you will think that it is one of fruits without health to human being, more especially the taste.
But health experts think otherwise, describing it as an essential fruit one needs to consume almost on a daily basis to keep a lot of health problems at bay.
They said:”Cucumbers belong to the same plant family as squash, pumpkin, and watermelon, and are made up of about 95% water. This makes them naturally low in calories, fat, and cholesterol.
A 100 gram serving of cucumber contains 15.54 calories. All of these properties make cucumbers very beneficial to your health.
Here is why you should eat cucumber everyday;
1. Healthier bones: Cucumbers are loaded with vitamin K, which is one of the most nutritional compound for promoting bone health. Vitamin K helps in keeping your bone strong, by building bone density, and reducing the risk of fractures.
Cucumbers are on the list of top foods that contain vitamin K.
One cup of crisp, fresh cucumber slices contains almost 20% of your daily recommended vitamin K intake, while a whole, medium sized cucumber can easily fill 50% of your daily requirement.
2. Better digestive health: Cucumbers are almost 95% water, and their skin is made up of insoluble fibre. The high amount of water, and fibre greatly influence your digestive system.
Eating cucumber helps to suppress acute symptoms of acid reflux. Insoluble fibres make the skin of cucumber, allowing food to move through your digestive tract quickly. They contain the enzyme “EREPSIN,” which also helps breakdown proteins.
Eating cucumbers daily can relieve you of digestive issues such as gastritis, heartburn, acidity, ulcer, and constipation.
3. Healthier skin: Cucumbers contain silica, which is known to help develop strong, and healthy connective tissues, in your muscles, ligaments, cartilage, and bones. Its high water content helps your skin stay hydrated, and in turn, keeps it healthy, and bright.
Full of antiinflammatory nutrients, cucumbers have a cooling, and soothing effect, when placed on your skin. This can treat various skin problems such as swelling under the eyes, irritation, and sunburn.
4. Reduced risk of heart diseases: Cucumbers contain lots of antioxidants, including flavonoids, which can protect you from heart disease.
Eating cucumbers everyday can decrease total cholesterol levels, decrease bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol, and decrease triglycerides, which can be very harmful to your heart.
Cucumbers are also rich in potassium, which can help lower the risk of various health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and obesity. A higher potassium intake is associated with lower rates of stroke, and also reduces the risk of heart diseases.
5. Better dental health: Cucumber contains phytochemicals, which are released upon consumption. These phytochemicals kill bad breath, causing bacteria in your mouth.
Cucumbers can also effectively treat gum diseases such as diarrhoea, and weak gums. It keeps your gums, and teeth healthy, by removing bad odour, from your mouth.
Regular consumption of cucumbers with the seeds neutralizes acids, in your mouth, and promote salivation.
6. Better brain protection: Cucumbers contain an antiinflammatory flavonol called “FISETIN,” which plays a very important role in maintaining your brain health. It also helps to improve your memory, and protect your nerve cells, from age related decline. FISETIN also prevents aggressive memory, and learning impairment.
Cucumber enhances the cholinergic system associated with your brain, and it’s circulation, which makes it helpful in avoiding Alzheimer.
7. Natural detoxification: Cucumbers are naturally high in antioxidants, and have natural cooling, and inflammatory properties, which help detoxify your body.
Furthermore, cucumber contains amino acids, which help to eliminate toxins, from your kidneys, and liver.
Due to their high water content, and fibre, when you eat cucumbers, you are taking in water, and fibre together, both of which are essential for removing toxins, from your body.
8. You will always be hydrated: With such high levels of water content present, cucumbers are very effective in keeping your body hydrated.
When there is more loss of water in your body than consumption, it leads to dehydration. This causes dangerous abnormalities, diseases, and health conditions such as nausea, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, weakness, palpitations, and headaches.
With more water moving out of your system than coming, the amount of water that you are currently taking is not sufficient, for your body to perform proper metabolic processes.
More importantly, the high water content, paired with the mineral salts, and vitamins present in cucumbers replenishes your entire body, while effectively filling up your stomach.
9. Maintain healthy weight loss: Cucumbers are very low in calories, with 1 cup of sliced cucumber only containing 16 calories.
Since they are so low in calories, they make a filling snack, without adding weight to your body. The soluble fibre present in cucumbers dissolve to a gel like texture in your gut, helping to slow down your digestion. This helps you to feel full for a longer period of time, and control your weight.
10. Prevents cancer: Cucumbers contain 2 phytonutrient compounds, which are associated with anticancer benefits. These are lignans and cucurbitacins.
Cucurbitacins can help block all signaling pathways for cancer cell proliferation, and survival. Cucurbitacins can also inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.
The lignans in cucumber can help protect against cancer, through working with the good bacteria, in your body. The bacteria breaks them into compounds such as “Enterodol,” and “Enterolactone.” This reduces the risk of Estrogen related cancers, particularly ovarian.
11. Better diabetes management: Cucumber has been found to be very beneficial for diabetes patients. It consists of certain substances, which help the pancreas produce more insulin. This simulation decreases the sugar production of the diabetic person.
The glycemic index of cucumber is zero(0), which means eating cucumber will not contribute to your blood sugar levels. It also helps in slowing down the digestion of carbohydrates, and sugar, which can further lower sugar levels.
12. Reduces extreme pain: Cucumbers are loaded with antiinflammatory compounds, including flavonoids, which are powerful pain reducing substances. These compounds restrict the proliferation of free radicals, in your body, leading to less pain.
Although, keep in mind, this only helps in reducing the pain, not the cost.
Being a natural antioxidant, cucumbers suppress the symptoms arising from irregular cell metabolism. The tannins in cucumber also contribute to this effect, lowering the risk of increased release of free radicals, in your body, leading to reduced pain.
13. Less stress: Cucumbers are rich in multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7.
B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety, and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress. They can also relax your nervous system, and help relieve panic attacks.
14. Relief from migraine problems: Cucumbers are a good source of magnesium, and water. Both elements are very helpful in providing relief from migraine.
Magnesium deficiency in your body can lead to various cosmic conditions such as depression, and headaches, which can further lead to migraine problems. The only way to prevent this is by encouraging regular dosage of magnesium, to regulate better absorption, in your body.
Migraine headaches can be triggered by many factors, including stress, low blood pressure, and dehydration.
15. Maintain adequate blood pressure: Your blood pressure should always be at optimal level(neither too high nor too low). The presence of magnesium, potassium, and fibre in cucumber makes it helpful in maintaining the right blood pressure in your body.
Furthermore, it helps to lower the pressure in your arteries, and keep them hydrated.
Cucumbers are one of the most recommended foods to people suffering from hypertension.”
