Cucumber : Nutrition and Benefits

Cucumbers are home to healthy calories and have high nutritional value that give them their amazing benefits. Here’s everything that you need to know about cucumbers.

Cucumbers are crispy and crunchy and make for tasty salad options. When it comes to nutrition, they offer oodles of fibre and water making them very apt for weight loss diets. An interesting fact about cucumber is that though they have found extensive culinary usage as vegetables, in the form of sauces, salads, curries etc, they are actually fruits. 

Cucumbers can be eaten cooked, raw or juiced. The fresh taste that they get to the recipe is incomparable.

They are greatly beneficial for the skin and hair and that’s why many cosmetic brands claim to use them in their products. They also, serve as important ingredients for home made face packs and beauty treatments. In fact, drinking cucumber juice or simply eating it raw, is believed to revive skin from the inside. Impressive, right??

Let’s have a look at the nutrition value provided by a typical serving of 100gms of this fruit-cum-vegetable : 

CUCUMBER NUTRITION CHART
Amount per 100 gms
15 Calories
Carbohydrates	3.5 gms
Proteins	0.70 gms
Fats	0.10 gms
Fibre	0.50 gms
Vitamins	Vitamin K, C (Major)
	Vitamin A, B (Minor)
Minerals	Magnesium, Potassium, Manganese (Major)
	Calcium, Iron, Zinc (Minor)

The Benefits 

• Cucumbers contain a lot of water (90% approx.) that makes them a wonderful food for keeping the body hydrated.
• Lignans that are plant-based compounds are available in ample in Cucumbers. Studies suggest that lignans can help to reduce the risk of ovarian, uterine, prostrate and breast cancer.
• Since cucumbers are low on calories, have high fibre and water content, they are great for weight loss.
• Cucumbers contain anti-oxidants that make them good for the heart.
• They have anti-inflammatory properties as well, that’s the reason, why cucumber slices are often placed on tired and swollen eyes. 
• They serve as a perfect food for detoxification and help liver to remove impurities and waste from the body.
• Dried cucumber paste works as a natural face mask. It is very nourishing and soothes the skin.
• Not just skin, the cucumber juice is also used for treating hair fall and encouraging new hair growth. It moisturises the hair, helps in treating dandruff and any other hair damage conditions.
• Presence of Vitamin K ensures you healthy bones.
• The vitamins and minerals in cucumber nourish the body and boost it’s immunity.
• Cucumber’s high fibre content also helps in reducing high uric acid concentration in the blood.

The Disadvantages

• Excessive consumption of cucumbers can trigger frequent urination thus resulting in fluid loss from body.
• Eating too much cucumber can also lead to indigestion.

Best Time to Eat

Any time of the day.

Recipes

Salads, Smoothies, Pickles, Mocktails, Sandwiches, Raita, Soups