LifeSurance.info – Cucumber is a plant generally used as fresh vegetables or pickles. Even though it is considered a compliment, the fruit with the Latin name Cucumis sativus has many benefits for the body. What are the health benefits of cucumbers?
Cucumber Nutritional Content
In 100 grams of cucumber, there are various essential nutrients that the body needs, including:
- Calories: 8
- Carbs: 1.4 grams
- Fiber: 0.3 gam
- Phosphorus: 95 grams
- Calcium: 2 mg
- Potassium: 57.1 grams
- Folate: 7 mcg
- Beta carotene: 314 mcg
- Vitamin C: 1 mg
- Vitamin K: 16.4 mcg
In addition, cucumbers also have a high water content (about 97%). To maximize its nutritional content, cucumbers should be eaten unpeeled. Peeling it will reduce the amount of fiber, vitamins, and minerals in it.
Benefits of Cucumber Fruit for Body Health
Not only as a complement to food, cucumber also contains nutrients that are good for health. Here are some of the benefits you can get, including:
1. Overcoming Swelling Around the Eyes
Swollen eyes can occur due to sleeping too late or tired eyes from working at the computer for too long. One of the most popular ways to deal with this condition is to put cucumber on the area where there is swelling. metabolic waste and fat deposits in the body.
2. Maintaining Kidney Health
Cucumber contains silicon, fluorine, and potassium, and low-calorie levels, which is what makes it believed to be able to stimulate the kidneys to remove metabolic waste and fat deposits in the body.
3. Helps the Body Stay Hydrated
If you are bored with plain water, you can also put cucumber slices in a drinking bottle like making infused water. That way, the added taste of cucumber makes you drink more water.
4. Maintain Bone Health
Cucumber is a good source of vitamin K. One cup of cucumber can help meet the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. In addition, vitamin K is also important for increasing the absorption of calcium in the bones.
5. Prevents Constipation
Water and fiber (which is found in cucumber skin) can help food to be digested faster and easier – which in turn reduces the risk of constipation.
6. Inhibiting the Growth of Cancer Cells
The lignans and cucurbitacin content in cucumbers is believed to be able to protect the body from cancer. In fact, a study revealed that one of the ingredients in cucumber that can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer is fisetin.
7. Lowers Blood Pressure
Cucumber is believed to help lower blood pressure because its potassium content can regulate the amount of salt in the kidneys. For people with hypertension, usually in the body, there are sodium levels that are too high. High levels of sodium make the water content in the body unbalanced which triggers an increase in blood pressure. In order to neutralize this, the body needs sufficient potassium. But many people do not get enough potassium intake every day. Therefore, to help balance sodium levels in the kidneys, you must regularly consume cucumbers.
8. Helps Eliminate Acne
The benefits of cucumber for health this one is specifically for facial skin. Cucumber can be useful for the skin because it contains vitamin B5, one of the vitamins that is often used to get rid of acne.
9. Helps Lose Weight
When you feel hungry and want to eat food, it is not only related to limited food intake, but this condition also indicates that the body is deficient in fluids. If you don’t feel hungry anymore after drinking cucumber juice, you’re actually just feeling thirsty.
10. Good for Pregnant Women
The content of vitamins C, B1, B3, B2, iron, zinc, and folic acid in cucumbers can help the development of the fetus in the womb. In addition, the collagen content in cucumbers will also help reduce cellulite in the stomach as one of the effects of pregnancy.
11. Helps Remove Toxins from the Body
Cucumber has diuretic properties or can trigger the production of urine. That way, this will increasingly encourage bacteria, toxins, and metabolic products to leave the body through urine.
This method is also known as detoxification. The body will also be fresher because it is clean from various harmful substances and poisons.
In addition, cucumbers are also able to fight free radicals which can cause a number of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, decreased vision, and diabetes.
