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As you crunch away on the cucumbers in your salad, dip slices of them in hummus, or even prepare yourself a refreshing glass of crisp cucumber water, you might not realize the extent to which the benefits associated with eating cucumbers truly affects your body.
In fact, there are numerous science-backed reasons why eating cucumbers can help optimize your health - some of which you may not even realize and will likely find surprising.
Eating cucumbers supports bone health.
Cucumbers are a nutrient-dense, low-calorie fruit (masquerading as a veggie to most). Cucumbers are loaded with vitamin K, which aids in building and fortifying strong, healthy bones, according to research.
There are about 50 micrograms of vitamin K in a single cucumber - This may not seem like much, but that actually counts for a little over 40% of your daily value of vitamin K for the day!
Cucumbers may help lower your blood pressure.
A 2017 study showed a decrease in blood pressure after drinking cucumber juice. Though the sample size was small - just 20 participants 60 years old or older with high blood pressure - the findings were very pro-cucumber. The participants drank one cucumber blended in water twice a day for seven days. The study showed a "significant effect" of cucumber juice on lowering blood pressure in the age group.
They can help keep your breath fresh.
Cucumbers can help with bad breath through their water, fiber, and photochemical content. One common cause of bad breath is odor produced when bacteria attack trapped food particles. When you're dehydrated, your mouth produces less saliva, which can lead to bad breath. The fluid in cucumbers, as well as the saliva production triggered by chewing, helps to cleanse the mouth and wash away these smelly culprits.
They may help prevent diabetes.
When trying to avoid diabetes, it's best to begin taking care of your diet.
Eating foods with a low glycemic index can help reduce insulin resistance, which in turn helps reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, according to Nutrition Journal.
Cucumbers have a GI of 15, making it a food with a relatively low number.
Cucumbers help keep you hydrated.
All you need to be more hydrated is to snack on some cucumber slices, and you're set. Well, maybe you should still a water bottle, and continue to drink water, but that doesn't take away from cucumbers being a source of hydration!
According to a French and British population survey published by Nutrients, cucumbers are more than 95% water - which means that in addition to a crunchy snack, you're also getting hydrated in the process of eating cucumbers.
Eating cucumbers can help you lose weight.
Cucumbers offer a great crunch into a variety of dishes! They're a healthy food that helps to promote weight loss . There are only 16 calories in one cup of cucumbers, which means that the food has a low energy density. According to a Nutrients study focusing on food energy density, there is a link between consuming foods with lower energy densities and weight loss.
Helps avoid constipation.
With all of the water and fiber that you find in cucumbers, is it any wonder that they help to prevent constipation?
The seeds of the cucumber, of which there are many, help to prevent constipation. Additionally, they have a cooling effect on the body.
Help mitigate bloating.
Rich in specific nutrients that help eliminate water retention and inflammation, cucumbers may be an ideal solution to help avoid bloating—and all the miserable side effects that can come along with it. This is, in part, due to their high potassium content. At 442 milligrams of potassium, one cucumber can provide you with nearly 10% of your daily value of this important mineral.
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