Over the past year or so our family has been trying to make positive, healthy changes in our lives. I am trying to incorporate more natural remedies to things that ail us, verses trying to medicate it all (*note: I am not anti-medicine. I LOVE medicine! lol. However, I do believe that there are natural non-side-effect causing products out there that can be just as effective).
One of these amazing natural products is cucumbers. One cup of cucumber provides your 11% vitamin K, 4% vitamin C, 2% of vitamin A of your daily needs. It also provides potassium, manganese, thiamin, riboflavin, B-6, folate, pontothenic acid, calcium iron, phosphorus, zinc and copper. It contains 115 grams of water, .9 grams of protein, .2 grams of fat, 2.9 grams of carbs and 16 calories. Cucumbers are the fourth most cultivated veggie in the world – and is known for one of the best foods for your bodies health.
Now obviously it sounds pretty healthy and good for your right? But think about what all the ‘health’ means:
Keeps You Hydrated. Some people have a hard time drinking water – or getting enough. A cucumber is 96% water. So eat away!
Bad Breathe Be Gone. Putting a cucumber on the roof of your mouth can help you get rid of stinky breath! It fights odor-causing bacteria, and also helps heal diseased gums.
Skin & Hair Care. Cucumbers can be used to reduce skin irritations and sunburns (kind of like aloe). Of course we also all know the old trick of placing a slice over puffy eyes. The anti-inflammatory properties help reduce puffiness and bags. Also, the silicon and sulfur in cucumbers can help stimulate hair growth (take that bad haircut!)
Hangover Be-Gone. Drink too much and dreading waking up in the morning? Eat a few cucumber slices before bed. Cucumbers contain enough B vitamins, electrolytes and sugar to replenish many of your essential nutrients – which will help reduce a lingering hangover or headache.
Heartburn Relief. Eating cucumbers can actually reduce the acid in your body, and help you get heartburn relief.
Helps You Lose Weight. Since cucumbers have a low amount of calories and a high amount of water content, they are a perfect snack for those looking to lose weight. The high water and dietary fiber content in cucumbers are effective in ridding your body of toxins from the digestive system, and helping aide digestion.
Relieve Constipation. The same benefits that help you lose weight (high dietary fiber & water content) cucumbers can also help remedy chronic constipation when eaten on a daily basis. Cucumber skins contain insoluble fiber, which helps add bulk to your stool. This helps food to move through your digestive tract more quickly for healthy elimination.
Relieves & Controls: Diabetes, Cholesterol & Blood Pressure. Cucumber juice contains a hormone which is needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin – which has been beneficial to diabetics. A compound called sterols that is also found in cucumbers can help reduce cholesterol levels as well. Since they also contain a good amount of potassium, magnesium and fiber – they also work great at regulating blood pressure.
Protects Your Brain. Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory called fisetin. This flavonol has been known to play an important roll in brain health. Not only can it help improve your memory, and protect your nerve cells, fisetin has been found to help prevent the progression of those with Alzheimer’s disease.
Energy Booster. With cucumbers containing a high amount of vitamin A, B and C – it gives you more energy, and boost immunity to boot. I always recommend putting a few slices of water in your water bottle – not only does it taste great, but it gives you all the extra benefits as well.
Reduces Your Risk of Developing Cancer. Cucumbers contain polyphenols called lignans – which may help to lower your risk of breast, uterine, ovarian, and prostate cancers. They also contain phytonutrients called cucurbitacins which have anti-cancer properties. According to the George Mateljan Fountain “Scientiest have already determined that several different signaling pathways required for cancer cell development and survival can be blocked by activity of cucurbitacins”
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