10 Wonderful Health Benefits of Cucumber
What do cucumbers do for your body? Are cucumbers nutritious? Yes, eating of cucumbers has many health benefits to the human body. How often do you eat cucumber? After reading this blog post, you should incorporate cucumber into your food diet. In this post, you will learn about the importance of cucumber to weight loss, and much more.
Below are the ten wonderful health benefits of cucumber:
1. It helps you stay hydrated
Cucumbers are mainly made up of 95.3 percent water, so, if serve yourself a 5-ounce of cucumber, it practically means 4.8 ounces or 150ml water. That’s about 26 percent of your required daily water intake through food.
2. It keeps the heart healthy
Cucumber is rich in potassium, which helps lower blood pressure. Potassium intake is reported to be closely associated with lower rates of stroke and that it also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The recommended intake of potassium daily is 4,700 mg, and only a few adults consume up to that amount, so it is advised that eating of cucumbers is an easy way to start increasing your potassium intake.
3. It protects the brain from neurological diseases
An anti-inflammatory substance called fisetin is contained in cucumbers, as well as grapes and strawberries. Experts recently suggested that fisetin plays an important role in brain health. It helps reduce the impact of age-related neurological diseases on brain function, and it also helps maintain cognitive function in people with Alzheimer disease.
4. It protects the skin against the effects of aging
Cucumber is a regarded as a potential anti-wrinkle agent; this is why it is widely used in skin care to produce cosmetic products. It protects the skin from the effects of aging.
5. It fights inflammation in the body and reduces the risk of cancer
Cucumbers help lower the inflammatory response in the body. They contain polyphenols named lignans, which can potentially reduce the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
They also contain plant nutrients called cucurbitacins, which have anti-cancer properties: “Scientists have already determined that several different signaling pathways required for cancer cell development and survival can be blocked by the activities of cucurbitacins.”
6. It helps to relieve pain
Flavonoids, which are anti-inflammatory substances and tannins in cucumbers, have both been shown to restrict the release of free radicals in the body and helps to reduce pain.
“Traditionally, this plant is used for headaches; the seeds are cooling and diuretic, the fruit juice is used as a nutritive and as a demulcent in anti-acne lotions.” As explained in the Journal of Young Pharmacists.
7. It helps to reduce bad breath
Bad breath is mainly caused by bacteria in the mouth. Water-rich vegetables and fibers like cucumbers can enhance your mouth’s saliva production, which in turn ensures that the bacteria that cause bad breath are washed away.
8. It helps protect your bones
Cucumber is a good source of vitamin K; one cup contains 22 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. This vitamin is essential for bone health, and low intake of vitamin K have been associated with a higher risk of bone fracture. Vitamin K is also important for improving calcium absorption in the bones.
9. It prevents constipation
As previously stated, cucumbers are rich in water, and their skin contains insoluble fiber. Both water and fiber help food to move through the digestive tract faster and more easily, helping to prevent constipation.
10. It maintains a healthy weight
Cucumbers are very low in calories (16 calories per cup) and they also contain fiber in the skin. Foods rich in fibre helps maintain a healthy weight.
There are many different ways you can enjoy cucumbers; raw in salads as a side with your meals, fermented as a pickle, or put in vegetable juices. Choose organic over conventionally grown cucumbers, as cucumbers were recently ranked the 9th most contaminated food by the Environmental Working Group.
Stay safe and healthy.
Credit: Omojuwa.com/HuffingtonPost
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