12 Unbelievable facts about Health Benefits of Cucumber

Beyond the cosmetic benefits of slices of cucumber over your eyes, cucumber holds a lot of health benefits if you introduce it to your daily diet. Cucumber is fresh, rich in water and has emerged as a great ally in slimming diets.

In addition, the cucumber is an authentic nutritious trick, among its vitamins, stand out those of group B, essential to promote nerve impulse and cell health. In addition, it contains folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. For all these reasons, the World Health Organization recommends its use.

You have to select the green specimens, without yellow spots or skin defects. To keep them it is advisable to store them in the refrigerator, where they will be kept in good condition for several days.

12 Reasons to Eat Cucumbers

1. Protect Your Brain

Cucumbers are rich in fisetins that are responsible for giving health to our brain. It reinforces your health, allowing neural connections to continue to function in learning, in memory and in concentration. Studies have been done that the decrease of fisetina in the brain, is one of the factors that trigger Alzheimer's.

2. Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Cucumbers contain polyphenols called lignans termed laricirresinol, pinorresinol and secoisolaricirresinol present in cucumber exert a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases and against several types of cancer, like those of breast, uterus, ovary and prostate. The properties against cancer also contribute to cucurbitacins, terpenes that give cucumbers their bitter taste and which, according to animal studies, seem to block cell signals that allow the multiplication of cancer cells.

"Scientists have already determined that the many different signaling pathways (for example, the JAK-STAT and MAPK pathways) required for the development and survival of cancer cells can be blocked by the activity of cucurbitacins."

3. Eliminates toxins and uric acid 

One of the most important properties of cucumber is that it helps to eliminate toxins from the body and uric acid that is why it is recommended that people suffering from arthritis or gout consume it.

4. Antioxidant Properties

Cucumbers contain numerous antioxidants, including the well-known vitamin C and beta-carotene. They also contain antioxidant flavonoids, such as quercetin, luteolin and kaempferol which provide additional benefits.

For example, quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevents the release of histamine - which makes foods rich in quercetin a "natural antihistamine." While kaempferol could help fight cancer and reduce your risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease.

5. Refresh Your Breath

Placing a slice of cucumber on your tongue may help eliminate the bacteria that cause the bad smell. Eating cucumbers could also help you to release excess heat in your stomach, that is said to be the main cause of bad breath. 

6. Control Stress

When stress affects us, sometimes it reaches a point where the defenses go down, the character changes, there are hormonal imbalances and even alterations in sleep. Therefore, stress is considered the "silent killer", because it is killing on the inside. When we feel this way, stressed, the cucumbers will not help us to reduce the time of work nor will they eliminate the problems, but the amount of vitamins of type B, will help to cope with it much better, without getting to the point where it affects you so much, because You will have more mental clarity and concentration in the execution of your tasks.

7. Strengthens Your Digestive Health

Cucumbers are rich in two of the basic elements necessary for a healthy digestion: water and fiber. If you have problems with acid reflux, you should know that drinking water can help suppress the acute symptoms of acid reflux by temporarily increasing the pH of the stomach; it is possible that cucumbers that are rich in water have a similar effect.

The cucumber skin contains insoluble fiber, which helps to give volume to your stool. This helps food move through your digestive tract faster for a healthy elimination.

8. Maintains a Healthy Weight

Cucumbers are very low in calories, although this is a food that will leave you satisfied (a cup of slices of cucumbers contains only 16 calories). Soluble fiber in cucumbers dissolves into a gel-like texture in your gut, helping to slow your digestion. This helps you feel fuller for longer and is one of the reasons why high- fiber foods may help with weight control.

9. Strengthens Cardiac Health

Cucumbers contain potassium, which is related to the reduction of blood pressure. An appropriate balance of potassium both outside and inside the cells is crucial for your body to function properly.

As an electrolyte, potassium is a positively charged ion that must maintain a certain concentration (almost 30 times higher inside than outside the cells) in order to perform its functions, which include interacting with sodium to help control the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contraction and cardiac function.

10. Combat muscular pains

Of the best properties of the cucumber is that the pulp is very useful to reduce muscle pain, it is only a matter of smearing it and massaging the affected area.

11. Relax tired eyes

Another property of cucumber is that it helps to relax tired eyes, moisten them and relieve them from redness due to conjunctivitis, no doubt to relax cucumber is a good ally.

12. It helps hair growth 

Because of its high content of sulfur and silicon cucumber helps promote hair growth, without a doubt this is one of the properties of cucumber that helps us stay beautiful and healthy.

Cucumbers Are a Great Ingredient for Vegetable Juice

There are many ways to enjoy the benefits of cucumbers, they can be fermented or used in salads with vinegar. If you are looking for something different, cucumbers are an excellent base for your vegetable juice because they have a mild flavor and a high water content. In fact, a juice of cucumber and celery is ideal for people who are new to the world of juices.

From there you can go little by little until you reach the red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach and escarole, along with parsley and cilantro. Juices are an ideal way to consume cucumbers. When your body has the abundance of nutrients you need and your pH is optimally balanced, you will feel energized and your immune system will work in optimal conditions.

Cucumbers are easy to grow, even if you only have access to a patio. They grow in containers (give them a place where they can grow up) and produce many vegetables from a small number of plants, so you can try and grow them yourself.

The use of cucumber and its properties for medicinal treatments goes beyond tradition, as its effects on health, have been verified by several scientists. You already know everything you need to know about the cucumber. We hope you liked it and that you have been saved the information, enough to incorporate it into your daily diet.