Pick a handful of firm, dark green cucumbers and pop them into your shopping basket. Congratulations! You have just bought yourself a fruit (yes, the cool cuke is fruit, not a vegetable) full of good health!
Here is a short list of the impressive health benefits that a cucumber carries:
- Keeps you hydrated. If you are too busy to drink enough water, munch on the cool cucumber, which is 96 percent water. It will cheerfully compensate!
- Fights heat, both inside and out. Eat cucumber, and your body gets relief from heartburn. Apply cucumber on your skin, and you get relief from sunburn.
- Flushes out toxins. All that water in cucumber acts as a virtual broom, sweeping waste products out of your system. With regular use, cucumber is known to dissolve kidney stones.
- Lavishes you with vitamins. A B and C, which boost immunity, give you energy, and keep you radiant. Give it more power by juicing cucumber with carrot and spinach.
- Supplies skin-friendly minerals: magnesium, potassium, silicon. That’s why cucumber-based treatments abound in spas.
- Aids in weight loss. Enjoy cucumbers in your salads and soups. My favorite snack? Crunchy cucumber sticks with creamy low-fat yogurt dip.
- Revives the eyes. Placing chilled slices of cucumber on the eyes is a clichéd beauty visual, but it really helps reduce under-eye bags and puffiness.
- Cuts cancer. Cut down your risk of several cancers by including cucumber in your diet. Several studies show its cancer-fighting potential.
- Stabilizes blood pressure. Patients of blood pressure, both high and low, often find that eating cucumber brings relief.
- Refreshes the mouth. Cucumber juice refreshes and heals diseased gums, leaving your mouth smelling good.
- Helps digestion. Chewing cucumber gives the jaws a good workout, and the fiber in it is great for digestion.
- Smooths hair and nails. Silica, the wonder mineral in cucumber makes your hair and nails stronger and shinier.
- Soothes muscle and joint pain. All those vitamins and minerals in cucumber make it a powerful enemy of muscle and joint pain.
- Keeps kidneys in shape. Cucumber lowers uric acid levels in your system, keeping the kidneys happy.
- Good for diabetics. Patients of diabetes can enjoy cucumber while also reaping its health benefits: cucumber contains a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin.
- Reduces cholesterol. A compound called sterols in cucumber helps reduce bad cholesterol.
