7 Good Reasons to Eat Cucumbers

Originally posted on May 27, 2022 @ 11:41 am

Cucumber is a fruit, even though most people think it is a vegetable. It has a lot of good nutrients, plant compounds, and antioxidants that may help treat or even prevent some health problems. So, let us look at the 7 good reasons to eat cucumbers.

Also, cucumbers are low in calories and have a lot of water and soluble fiber, which makes them great for keeping you hydrated and helping you lose weight.

The 7 Vital Reasons to Eat Cucumbers

This article looks at some of the best reasons to eat cucumbers for your health:

1. It has a lot of good nutrients

Cucumbers have few calories, but they have a lot of vitamins and minerals that are good for you.

One raw, 11-ounce (300-gram) cucumber that has not been peeled contains (1):

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• Calories: 45
• Total fat: 0 grams
• Carbs: 11 grams
• Protein: 2 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• 14 % of the RDI for vitamin C
• 62% of the RDI for vitamin K.
• 10% of the RDI is made up of magnesium.
• 13 % of the RDI for potassium
• Manganese makes up 12% of the RDI.

Normal serving size is about one-third of a cucumber, so eating a standard portion would give you about one-third of the nutrients listed above.

Also, cucumbers have a lot of water in them. In fact, cucumbers are mostly water—about 96% of them (2Trusted Source).

Cucumbers are most nutritious when they are eaten without being peeled. When you peel them, you get less fiber and some vitamins and minerals (3).

2. It has antioxidants in it

Another good reasons to eat cucumbers is that it has antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that stop oxidation, a chemical reaction that makes free radicals, which are highly reactive atoms that don’t have a pair of electrons.

When these harmful free radicals build up, they can cause a number of long-term illnesses (4Trusted Source).

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In fact, cancer, heart, lung, and autoimmune diseases have all been linked to oxidative stress, which is caused by free radicals (4Trusted Source).

Fruits and vegetables, like cucumbers, are full of antioxidants that are good for you and may lower your risk of these conditions.

In one study, 30 older people were given cucumber powder to see how well it worked as an antioxidant.

At the end of the 30-day study, cucumber powder caused a significant rise in several markers of antioxidant activity and improved antioxidant status (5Trusted Source).

But it’s important to keep in mind that the cucumber powder used in this study probably had more antioxidants than a regular serving of cucumber.

Another test-tube study on the antioxidant properties of cucumbers found that they contain flavonoids and tannins, which are two groups of compounds that are especially good at blocking harmful free radicals (6Trusted Source).

3. It helps you stay hydrated

Water is important to the way your body works and does many important things (7Trusted Source).

It helps control the temperature and moves waste and nutrients (7Trusted Source).

In fact, staying properly hydrated can affect everything from how your body works to how fast your metabolism works (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

Most of your fluid needs are met by drinking water or other liquids, but some people get up to 40% of their total water intake from food (2Trusted Source).

Water can be found in a lot of foods, but especially in fruits and vegetables.

In one study, the diets of 442 children were recorded and their hydration levels were checked. They found that eating more fruits and vegetables was linked to better hydration levels (10Trusted Source).

Since cucumbers are mostly water (about 96%), they are great for keeping you hydrated and can help you meet your daily fluid needs (2Trusted Source). So, it is cool reasons to eat cucumbers.

4. It might help you lose weight

There are a few ways that cucumbers might help you lose weight.

First, they don’t have many calories.

Each one-cup serving (104 grams) has only 16 calories, and a whole 11-ounce (300 grams) cucumber has only 45 calories (1).

This means you can eat a lot of cucumbers without gaining weight from the extra calories.

Cucumbers can make salads, sandwiches, and side dishes taste fresher and more flavorful, and they can also be used in place of foods with more calories.

The high amount of water in cucumbers could also help people lose weight.

One study looked at 13 studies with a total of 3,628 people and found that people who ate foods high in water and low in calories lost a lot of weight (11Trusted Source).

5. It might make blood sugar go down

Several studies on animals and in test tubes have found that cucumbers may help lower blood sugar and prevent some problems that can happen with diabetes.

One animal study looked at how different plants affect blood sugar. Blood sugar levels can be lowered and kept in check by eating cucumbers (12Trusted Source).

In another study, mice were given diabetes and then given cucumber peel extract to help them. Most of the changes caused by diabetes were reversed by cucumber peel, and blood sugar went down (13Trusted Source).

Also, a test-tube study found that cucumbers may help reduce oxidative stress and keep diabetes complications from happening (14Trusted Source).

But the only evidence we have right now comes from studies done in test tubes and on animals. To find out how cucumbers might affect blood sugar in people, more research is needed.

6. It could make people more reliable

Eating cucumbers might help keep your bowels moving regularly.

Dehydration is one of the main causes of constipation because it can change your water balance and make it hard to pass stool (15Trusted Source).

Cucumbers have a lot of water in them and help you stay hydrated. Staying hydrated can make stools more solid, keep you from getting constipated, and help you stay regular (16Trusted Source).

Cucumbers also have fiber, which helps keep bowel movements regular.

Pectin, which is a type of soluble fiber found in cucumbers, can help you go to the bathroom more often.

In one study, 80 people took pectin as a supplement. It was found that pectin made the intestinal muscles move faster and fed the good bacteria in the gut that are good for digestive health (17Trusted Source).

7. It’s easy to include in your diet

Cucumbers are mild and have a crisp, refreshing taste. They are often eaten fresh or pickled in things like salads and sandwiches.

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Cucumbers are also often eaten raw as a low-calorie snack, or they can be paired with hummus, olive oil, salt, or salad dressing to give them more flavor.

Other Ways to Eat Cucumbers

Cucumbers can be eaten in many different ways with just a little bit of thought.

Here are some ideas for how to use cucumbers in your diet:

• Cucumber Chips Baked
• Cucumbers Pickled in a Hurry
• Thai Cucumber Salad
• Water with Strawberry, Lime, Cucumber, and Mint
• Sorbet made of cucumber and mint
• Grilled cheese with cucumber and goat cheese

In conclusion;

Cucumbers are refreshing, healthy, and can be used in a lot of different ways.

They are low in calories and high in water, and they have a lot of important vitamins and minerals.

Cucumbers may be good for your health in many ways, such as helping you lose weight, stay properly hydrated, keep your digestive system running smoothly, and lower your blood sugar levels.

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