Is Cucumber Good For You?

Is cucumber good for you? Most people either love cucumbers or hate them, while some don’t care too much and just eat them because they’re high in water content and aren’t overly filling. Cucumbers are low calorie but high in water content, making them a wonderful snack that can be eaten to suppress hunger cravings. They also contain various nutrients such as fiber, folic acid, and vitamins A, B, C, and K, among others.
Cucumber is one of the most popular foods in the world, grown in nearly every country and consumed by millions of people on a daily basis.

There are many different ways to eat cucumber, from fresh salads to dipping them in hummus or adding them to sandwiches.
If you aren’t sure if you should be eating cucumber or not, this article gives you reasons why you should eat cucumber as often as possible!

See, Is Pineapple Juice Good For You? Is Acai Good For You? and Is Soda Good For You?

Cucumber Nutrition Info

Cucumber health benefits are directly connected to the nutritional content in them. So if you are wondering what nutrients cucumbers have to offer, data published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that half a cup of raw and unpeeled cucumber has about;

Fat: 0.1 gram
Protein: 0.3 grams
Calories: 7.8 grams
Fiber: 0.3 grams
Carbohydrates: 1.9 grams
Water: 49.5 grams
Magnesium: 6.8 milligrams (2 percent of your daily requirement
Vitamin K: 8.5 micrograms ( 11 percent of your daily requirement)
Potassium: 4 milligrams (2 percent of your daily requirement)
Vitamin C: 1.5 milligrams (2 percent of your daily requirement)

According to Nutrition Data, peeling your cucumber may reduce its fiber content as well as some of its nutrients. For this reason, you should eat it with their skin intact.

Why is Cucumber Good for You?

Eating cucumbers comes with endless benefits; however, cucumbers alone can not entirely be effective in transforming your health. It will help if you incorporate other healthy lifestyle habits like proper nutrition, physical activity, stress reduction, and adequate sleep. Read More.

Nonetheless, cucumbers are highly nutritious, and consuming them regularly can boost different aspects of your life. Here is why cucumbers are good for you

1. Cucumber Promotes Digestive Health

If you think about it, it makes sense that eating cucumbers could promote digestive health. They contain lots of fiber to keep you regular, increase bowel movements, and promote stool consistency, and they have properties to help your body eliminate waste and toxins.

Plus, they’re packed with water to provide hydration benefits. The fiber in cucumbers also helps feed the good gut bacteria, improving your general gut flora. This, in turn, boosts the immune system and improves sleep, among other benefits. Read More.

If you’re looking for ways to improve your digestion, eat cucumbers before meals or add them to salads and soups. They’re a great natural remedy for heartburn, too.

2. Hydrates And Soothes The Skin

Cucumber is a major ingredient in most skincare DIY products, all for good reasons. They are commonly used to naturally reduce swelling and puffiness around the eyes, tone up the skin, and clear acne.

If you suffer from acne or oily skin, it might be helpful to start eating cucumbers every day. This is because cucumbers contain an ingredient called silica, which helps remove excess oil and toxins from your body while also balancing out your pH levels.

Silica also promotes collagen production, which promotes skin elasticity and firmness and prevents premature signs of aging.

Silica is found in many other foods as well—including almonds and beans—but most people don’t eat enough of these foods to see a difference in their skin. So if you want to fight acne naturally, adding more silica-rich foods to your diet is definitely a good idea!

Cucumber is also rich in vitamin A, which helps slow aging and enhances healthy skin cell production.

When applied topically, cucumbers can help soothe sunburnt skin and protect against sun damage. Read More.

3. Cucumbers can Lower Cholesterol

Research indicates that cucumbers contain beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A, which has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. When your body processes beta-carotene, it turns it into vitamin A and converts it into retinol.

Retinol increases HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) and decreases LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). Researchers believe that those who eat three or more servings of foods rich in beta-carotene per week can reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 26 percent.

In addition, cucumbers are high in fisetin, a flavonol antioxidant that has been shown to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by as much as 30%. Fisetin is also thought to help fight inflammation in the body.

Cucumbers also contain pectin and sterols, both of which have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels.

Besides, the soluble fiber in cucumbers may help get rid of excess cholesterol and prevent plaque buildup. This may help lower the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Read More.

4. Helps In The Management Of Diabetes

Cucumbers are a great source of magnesium, which is crucial to regulating blood sugar levels. And cucumbers contain fiber, making them ideal for managing diabetes.

In fact, eating high-fiber foods in diabetes has been shown to lower blood glucose levels than those who don’t. In addition, eating cucumbers may help decrease insulin resistance and improve sensitivity.

Diabetes is a condition where your blood glucose levels are too high, either because your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or because cells ignore it. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body absorb sugar from food, turning it into energy.

When you have diabetes, you have either type 1 or type 2. In both cases, blood glucose levels are not well-regulated. Eating cucumbers may help decrease insulin resistance and improve sensitivity. This could be especially helpful for people with type 2 diabetes, who tend to have higher insulin resistance than those with type 1.

Moreover, since cucumbers are very low in calories, they are low on the Glycemic index and thus suitable for anyone with diabetes. When consumed in salads or smoothies, the high fiber in cucumber may slow digestion and enhance the controlled release of glucose into the blood.

5. Reduces Cancer Risk

According to research, cucumbers contain cucurbitacin, a compound shown to prevent the reproduction of cancer cells and lower their ability to attack surrounding tissues.

Cucumbers are also high in fisetin, an antioxidant that has been shown to prevent the progression of prostate cancer.

In addition, cucumber contains lignans, phytoestrogens that have reduced the risk of uterine, ovarian, and breast cancer. Read More.

6. Helps in stress management

Studies have shown that eating cucumbers can help reduce stress by lowering levels of cortisol, a hormone that can negatively affect your mood.

Cucumber is high in vitamin B complex, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7. These may help calm the nervous system and reduce stress-induced anxiety and panic attacks.

7. Flushes out toxins

Due to its high water ratio, consuming cucumber will help you stay hydrated, which helps flush out toxins and cleanse your gut. Cucumber is also filled with digestive enzymes that promote digestive health. Cucumber Lemon Water.

8. Promotes joint health

Cucumber is an excellent source of silica, a trace mineral essential for healthy joints. This mineral is found in tendons, connective tissues, and cartilages.

Since the body doesn’t need a lot of it, regular consumption of cucumber may provide just enough to reduce inflammation and keep off any form of joint pain and aches and relieve gout and arthritis.

9. Regulates blood pressure

Cucumber is a diuretic and a great source of potassium which relaxes blood vessel walls lowering high blood pressure. Also, potassium is an electrolyte that reduces sodium-induced water retention, causing your blood pressure to fall. Drinking cucumber water is one of the easiest ways to increase your potassium intake and lower blood pressure.

10. Prevents and treats headaches

Different things may trigger headaches, including fatigue, dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, low blood sugar, and stress. With almost 96 percent water content and a high nutrient profile, cucumber can keep you hydrated and headache-free.

11. Prevents bad breath

Bad breath is a struggle for several people, and although good oral hygiene is the best way to keep off bad breath, the foods you eat also have a greater impact.

Cucumber boosts saliva production, which helps wash away odor-causing bacteria. Their crunchiness also helps get rid of plaque on teeth and gum, which bacteria can feed on, thus causing bad breath.

Holding a slice of cucumber between your tongue and the roof of your mouth for 90 seconds can also reduce bad breath. According to Gregg Lituchy, a cosmetic dentist in New York City. This is because the phytochemicals in cucumbers help kill odor-causing bacteria in the mouth.

Generally, foods that are high in water volumes like cucumber and watermelon can help prevent bad breath since water washes away any food residue and prevents a dry mouth.

12. Good for weight loss

If you are looking to lose weight, adding cucumbers to your diet can help. This vegetable contains large amounts of fiber and water, both of which fill you up and make you feel full longer, so you’re less likely to overeat. The fiber also works to speed up your metabolism, helping your body burn calories faster throughout the day.

Cucumbers are also very low in calories, which means you can eat plenty of them without piling up on calories that may cause you to gain weight.

Moreover, studies show that foods high in water but low in calories may aid weight loss.

13. Promotes hair growth

Cucumber juice contains calcium, potassium, sulfur, and silicon, which prevent hair fall and stimulate hair growth and scalp health.

Vitamins A and C in cucumber also contribute to healthy hair and scalp.

You can incorporate cucumber hair masks into your hair care routine or regularly rinse your hair with cucumber juice to enjoy these benefits.

Using cucumber oil is another great way to incorporate cucumber into your hair regime. It has been found to resolve dryness and prevent scalp infections.

14. It’s rich in vitamin K

Just 1 cup of chopped cucumber provides 62 percent of your daily recommended intake for Vitamin K, which promotes healthy bone growth.

It also regulates calcium absorption. Calcium is an essential bone mineral that promotes bone density and strength and lowers the risk of osteoporosis.

Additionally, vitamin k is necessary for proper blood clotting, which keeps us from bleeding excessively and reduces our risk of forming dangerous blood clots in our veins.

15. Alkalizes the body

Your body operates at an optimal pH of around 7.35-7.45, a balance that maximizes your body’s ability to detoxify and absorb nutrients. However, as you consume more acidic foods, such as meat, cheese, and soda, your pH levels drop significantly—so much so that consuming too many acidic foods can cause acidosis.

Consuming alkaline foods like cucumbers helps balance out your system by boosting your intake of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium, all of which help keep your pH levels normal.

In conclusion

Cucumbers can be a great addition to your nutrition and health. Whether it’s keeping you hydrated, boosting your immune system, promoting heart health, enhancing weight loss, or refreshing your breath, cucumbers have it all.

But they cannot substitute healthy habits. Their consumption can only enhance what you are already doing. So keep eating right, exercising, hydrating, and taking care of your mental health.

When purchasing cucumbers, go for a firm, green cucumbers that are blemish-free. It’s also good to purchase organic cucumbers, but if you buy conventional ones, ensure you peel off the skin to reduce the number of pesticides used during farming.

Cucumber Nutrition Info