Cucumber, also known as Kheera in Urdu, is one of the most known vegetables in many parts of the world. It is often considered as a vegetable as well as a fruit because it belongs to the same family plant as that pumpkin, watermelon, squash including melon. Cucumbers consist of 95% water and this makes them an ideal hydrating and cooling food. Cucumber plays an important role in looking after your brain health. In addition, cucumber is low in calories and contains a good amount of soluble fiber and water which make it ideal for promoting hydrating and aiding in weight loss. They are widely used in traditional diets as well as spas all around the world and they are good for health too.
Benefits:
- Keeps you hydrated
- Keeps your kidney healthy
- Improve the health of bones
- Helps In Preventing Constipation
- Good for weight management
- Reduce the risk of cancer and other disease
- Reduce pain
- Reduce stress
- Good for heart patient
- Keeps you hydrated
Water plays a crucial role in the functioning of all parts of our body like temperature regulation and transportation of nutrients. Proper hydration can affect everything from physical performance to metabolism and that’s the reason why doctors suggest we drink more and more water to keep our bodies hydrated. Well, fruits and vegetables are good sources of water including cucumber. According to a study on children, increased fruit and vegetable intake resulted in improving the hydrated status of their bodies.
- Healthy Kidney
Cucumber is an excellent food that helps in getting rid of toxins easily from our bodies. Consuming it regularly will keep your urinal system healthy by treating problems with the urinary system. Consume cucumber juice twice a day to prevent all kidney problems.
- Healthy Bones
The top nutrient in cucumbers is vitamin K, which is key for bone health. One cup of cucumber with the peel still on supplies over 20% of the recommended daily target for vitamin K. This nutrient is required for bone formation.
- Helps In Preventing Constipation
An insufficient amount of dietary fiber and water in our bodies can lead to constipation. Remember to add cucumber salad every single day to replenish the water and fibers in the body. Because, both water and fiber help food to move through the digestive tract easily and quickly, resulting in preventing constipation.
- Reduces The Risk Of Cancer
Cucumber is also known for its anti-cancer properties and can reduce the spread of cancer cells throughout the body and decrease the risk of developing cancer cells in the body. The cucurbitacin’s in cucumber will prevent cancer by stopping cancer cells from reproducing. Often, cancer specialists ask their patients to consume cucumbers to restore those damaged cells in their bodies and to aid blood circulation.
How Does It Work?
Cucumber contains fats in the seeds that might help to lower cholesterol. The fruit contains chemicals that might help to reduce swelling (inflammation) and speed up wound healing.
How to Store Cucumber?
Cucumber store in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to 1 week. Store the cucumbers away from avocados, bananas, tomatoes, or melons, as the cucumbers are more likely to yellow quickly due to the exposure of ethylene gas. Although not harmful, ethylene is a gas that is released from fruits and vegetables that causes produce to ripen more quickly. The best way to store cut cucumbers is to wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in an airtight storage container.
- Wash the cucumbers.
- Wrap the cucumbers in paper towels.
- Place the cucumbers in a storage container.
- Put the cucumbers in the crisper drawer
- Keep cucumbers toward the front of the refrigerator
Risks of Cucumber
There are few risks to eating cucumbers. Before you eat them, peel the skin off or wash it in warm water. Make sure your cucumber is safe to enjoy. Cucumbers come with a natural wax on their skin. Washing cucumbers after picking them takes away that wax, so producers add a synthetic wax back on before sending them to grocery stores. The wax helps them stay shelf stable longer, but it also holds onto germs. The wax itself isn’t harmful, but peeling the skin before you eat the cucumber can lower the risk of contamination.