Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a plant in the gourd family. It is a creeping vine that bears cucumiform fruits that people use as vegetables.
It is full of nutrients I never knew could have saved a situation some years ago.
About 2 decades ago, I met a man battling cancer of the prostate.
The pain and anguish he was going through could make Jesus move in compassion and heal him.
I saw him battle in pains, pushing urine like someone having a hard poo moment.
After he pushed without result, tears rolled down his chicks.
We quickly took him to a hospital.
On our way, he would request we pull over for a try. He would try even harder to push out urine and empty his bladder that was full and heavy.
Imagine how you feel when your bladder is full and you had no opportunity to wee.
That your pain is very little compared to what he was going through.
We pulled over again and he tried to wee, but our wish never came to pass.
I was amazed that, as a man, the same wee you do effortlessly now, could become tough when you are older.
The over 70-year-old man could tell a better story of his pain. After the whole trouble a pipe was connected to his bladder and he had to carry a urine bag around for months.
Interestingly, adding cucumber to his diet, as he advanced in age could have helped inhibit the growth of the cancer cells. This you would find in this article.
There are three main varieties of cucumber – slicing, pickling and seedless. They are high in water and low in calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
Cucumber is originally from South Asia, but it now grows in most continents, Africa inclusive.
It is cultivated in Nigeria and it has a mild, refreshing taste, Also, it helps in rehydrating you.
Furthermore, cucumber is part of the Mediterranean diet that often promotes longevity.
Nutritional Facts Of Cucumber
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database says 1 cup of raw sliced cucumber with peel, weighs around 52 grams (g).
Amazingly, 96% of this amount of cucumber is water,
Find under-listed other compounds in this vegetable.
Calories: 8
Protein: 0.34 g
Fat: 0.06 g
Carbohydrate: 1.89 g
Fibre: 0.9 g
Sugar: 0.87 g
Calcium: 8 milligrams (mg)
Iron: 0.15 mg
Magnesium: 7 mg
Phosphorus: 12 mg
Potassium: 76 mg
Sodium: 1 mg
Vitamin C: 1.5 mg
Micrograms: C,4 micrograms (mcg)
Folate: 4 micrograms (mcg)
Also, cucumber contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, and vitamin A.
One cup of cucumber provides around 11% of the daily allowance for vitamin K.
Furthermore, cucumber also contains lignans.
Health Benefits Of Cucumber
Vegetables are plants that carry nutrients that are beneficial to humans. Interestingly, each of them have compounds that make them unique and helpful to you when you eat them.
Cucumber is one great vegetable that is full of nutrients. Adding it to your diet daily offers you huge health benefits.
Thankfully it appears not to have a season in Nigeria.
Here are the values eating cucumber daily offers.
1. Hydration
This vegetable consists mostly of water.
Beyond that, it contains important electrolytes that help regulate the osmotic pressure in cells. Also, they help maintain the function of muscle and nerve cells.
Cucumber is a good snack that you can add to your diet daily.
Basically, chances are that you do not meet your water intake requirement each day.
While it is difficult to just go and take a glass of water when you are not thirty, adding cucumber to your diet further provides your body needed water.
Furthermore, hydration is important because it helps in maintaining a healthy intestine, preventing constipation, and avoiding kidney stones.
2. Promotes Eye Health
You must have seen people place cucumber on their eyes and you may wonder how that works.
According to a study, cucumber “gives a soothing effect against skin irritations and reduces swelling.
It says the vegetable also has the power to relax and alleviate the sunburn’s pain.
Also, the seeds contain compounds that have a cooling effect on the body (1).
When placed on the eyes, the antioxidants in cucumber will help fight oxidation that may be causing eye problems. This will reduce morning puffiness.
It will also provide a soothing effect to the skin around the eyes.
3. Promotes Bone Health
As you age, your bones get weaker, except you make conscious effort to keep them strong.
Studies say vitamin K promotes bone health by increasing bone mineral density in osteoporotic people while also actually reducing fracture rates (2) (3).
Basically, a cup of cucumber offers you 8.5 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K.
According to the recommendations of the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), women aged 19 years and over should consume 90 mcg of vitamin K each day while men should take 120 mcg.
Cucumber is also rich in calcium. Vitamin K also improves the absorption of this calcium.
4. Cucumber Promotes Heart Health
You heart is a vital organ that needs adequate nourishment and care.
Interestingly, this vegetable provides your heart nutrients that support its function.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), adding fibre to your diet helps prevent a buildup of cholesterol (fat in the blood vessel) ad the cardiovascular problems that go with it.
Cucumber is a good sources of fiber. This comes from eating the skin.
Also, the vegetable provides potassium and magnesium which are also great for your heart.
AHA recommends that you should reduce the intake of sodium and increase the intake of potassium as you age.
When you do, you will lower the risk of high blood pressure.
Furthermore, the cucurbitacins in cucumber may also help prevent atheroslcerosis – the hardening of the blood vessel by plaque (4).
5. Lowers Risk Of Cancer
As a member of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants, cucumbers contain high levels of nutrients known as cucurbitacins.
The vegetable contains cucurbitacins A, B, C, D, and E.
However, there are currently no current anti-cancer therapies that makes use of cucurbitacins.
This compound may help prevent cancer by inhibiting cancer cells from proliferating and surviving.
Furthermore, cucumber also contains lignans which are polyphenolic compounds that could also lower risk of certain cancers (5).
6. Could Lower Risk Of Diabetes
Also, diabetics will find this vegetable helpful.
According to a study, cucumber contains Cucurbita ficifolia. It is a compound that helps reduce spikes in blood sugar (6).
Furthermore, one theory is that the cucurbitans in cucumber stimulate insulin release and regulate the metabolism of a key hormone in the processing of blood sugar, hepatic glycogen.
7. Great For Your Skin
Again, another part of your body that benefits from a daily intake of cucumber is your skin.
The vegetable contains antioxidants that offer anti-inflammatory benefits.
As earlier stated, when applied on the skin, it has a cooling and soothing effect.
This helps decrease swelling, irritation, and inflammation (7).
Furthermore, the vegetable can alleviate sunburn.
8. May Aid Health Pregnancy
Cucumber contains folate, magnesium which are very essential for women trying to conceive and those that are pregnant.
One study found that women who got adequate amount of magnesium had fewer complications in pregnancy (8).
Furthermore, magnesium and calcium work together. While magnesium relaxes muscles, calcium stimulates muscles to contract.
Magnesium further helps build strong teeth and bones in your baby.
If you find this helpful, kindly share with your friends and loved ones. They will benefit from adding cucumber to their diet daily.
Adding Cucumber To Diet
This vegetable is one of the easiest to add to diet.
You can slice and eat your cucumber or add it to your salad.
You can also add it to your egg if you love to eat fried eggs.
Ensure that you fry with low amount of oil and low heat.
You can prepare cucumber sauce and eat your white rice with it.