How are cucumbers useful?

Cucumbers are one of the most famous vegetables on the planet. They are nutritious, low-calorie, they are used in salads, eaten raw, salted, pickled, without thinking about the benefits and harms of cucumbers.

Composition and calorie content of cucumbers

Although water is the main constituent of a vegetable, the beneficial substances in cucumbers are also present. These are balanced, readily available and quickly absorbed by the body minerals and vitamins.

Nutritional value of cucumber

Weight	Protein	Fats	Carbohydrates	The energy value
100 g	0.8 g	0.1 g	2.5 g	14 kcal

 

Vitamins

The composition of vitamins in cucumbers per 100 g

A	B1	B2	B3	B6	B9	C	E	H	PP
0.06 mg	0.03 mg	0.04 mg	0.3 mg	0.04 mg	4 μg	10.0 mg	0.1 mg	0.9 μg	0.2 mg

 

Minerals

The composition of trace elements per 100 g

Iron	Potassium	Calcium	Magnesium	Sodium	Phosphorus	Chlorine
0.6 mg	141.0 mg	23.0 mg	14.0 mg	8.0 mg	42.0 mg	25.0 mg

 

In addition to those listed above, cucumber consists of manganese, copper, iodine, silver and other chemical trace elements, but in smaller quantities.

Useful properties of fresh cucumbers

The benefits of cucumbers for the human body are invaluable.

The liquid contained in vegetables flushes out harmful substances, but retains useful elements due to its high diuretic properties.

The work of the heart, blood vessels and kidneys improves due to potassium in the composition.

Coarse fiber and fiber stabilize the intestines, cause a laxative effect, and normalize metabolism.

Antioxidants prevent the accumulation of cholesterol, reduce acidity and the level of body fat.

Due to the presence of iodine, the fruits of the plant restore the hormonal background of the body, improve the functioning of the thyroid gland.

Vitamin C contained in cucumber strengthens the immune system.

Cucumbers for gout relieve the human body from uric acid due to the healing properties of the juice.

Magnesium and phosphorus are effective against insomnia, improve sleep, relieve anxiety, fatigue and irritability.

The high iodine content normalizes the endocrine system and prevents the appearance of thyroid pathologies, and this chemical element also has anti-sclerotic properties.

Not only ordinary fruits are distinguished by medicinal properties, the benefits of bitter cucumbers are also significant. Due to the content of cucurbitacins, these vegetables have a pronounced anti-cancer effect. If you cut off the peel from them, dry them and grind them into powder, you get a powder that is used for burns, abscesses or diaper rash.

For women

Cucumbers are prized by women for their low calorie content and help in preventing the formation of fat from carbohydrates. They speed up the digestion of other components of the dish and stop the slagging of the body.This also applies to high-calorie foods.

Cucumbers rejuvenate and refresh the skin, relieve fatigue. Cucumber juice tones, so they drink it in the morning.

For men

Cucumbers affect men in a similar way. They help to lose weight, prevent possible obesity. Representatives of the stronger sex are more susceptible to slagging of the body than women, so the fruits will provide significant assistance in cleaning it.

The main health benefits of cucumbers for men is their effect on the hormonal system. Vegetables normalize testosterone production and protect against hair loss.

At what age can cucumbers be given to children

Can a child eat cucumbers? The answer is unequivocally yes. This healthy vegetable will prevent the development of anemia due to the silicon contained in the composition. Potassium strengthens the baby's nervous system, iodine protects the thyroid gland. In addition, cucumber improves bowel function, strengthens the immune system, muscle and bone tissues of children.

Cucumbers during pregnancy

Cucumbers should be eaten fresh by pregnant women. They reduce the risk of fetal malformations, preserve the structure of bones and tooth enamel, prevent the appearance of hemorrhoids, cucumbers are effective for constipation and edema.

Vitamin K improves blood clotting, protects against internal bleeding and bleeding, and heals wounds.

Pickles expose the kidneys to heavy loads, so they are contraindicated for expectant mothers.

Is it possible to breastfeed cucumbers

When breastfeeding, mothers should not eat fresh cucumbers in the first three months of a child's life. Increased gas production will cause severe colic in the baby. At three months, the baby's digestive system calmly reacts to changes in the composition of the mother's milk, and flatulence no longer bothers him.

Mothers should introduce vegetables to their food gradually. First, you should eat a few bites and check if the baby will have a negative reaction. If everything is in order, you can gradually increase the amount of fresh cucumbers you eat. Pickles are also not prohibited if the child does not react to them. You should not eat a lot of pickles, they prevent the drainage of fluid from the body.

Vinegar and salt are contraindicated for a child, therefore, nursing mothers should not eat pickled cucumbers.

The benefits of cucumber juice

Cucumber juice is very popular. It regulates the acid-base balance, removes excess water and sodium, normalizes blood pressure and prevents the onset of cancer.

Cucumber-carrot juice is indispensable for rheumatism.

Juice from spinach, cucumber, carrot and lettuce regenerates and strengthens hair.

Rinse the mouth with cucumber juice to avoid problems with teeth and gums.

Honey and cucumber juice are mixed and drunk when a dry cough occurs.

Folk recipes from cucumbers

With diseases of the gallbladder

1 tbsp. l. beetroot juice, 2 tbsp. l. mix carrot and cucumber juice and drink half an hour before meals. Take the remedy with a seven-day break for twenty days.

For constipation

Pour 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and a tablespoon of honey into a glass of cucumber brine, mix thoroughly and drink. If there is no effect, repeat in a day.

With renal colic

Boil 10 g of cucumber seeds in 100 ml of hot water for 15 minutes. Wait for the broth to cool completely, drain. Add boiled water to the original volume. Warm up before use.

For diseases of the spleen

Grind the dried overripe cucumber seeds in a coffee grinder. Take 3 times a day, half an hour before meals, 15 g.

With bleeding in the eyes

Put a cucumber slice on each eyelid, hold for 30 minutes.If you are allergic to pollen, using a vegetable can get rid of itching and inflammation.

Is it possible to eat cucumbers for diabetes

For mild to moderate type 2 diabetes, fresh cucumbers or pickles are not prohibited. When salting and pickling, sugar must be replaced with permitted substances with similar properties. Overweight patients undergoing hormone therapy and with severe diabetes should refuse these vegetables.

Face cucumber

Cucumbers play an essential role in many beauty treatments.

Thanks to the folic acid content, cucumbers are effective in fighting acne, inflammation and rashes. They help to lighten the skin with various pigmentation, eliminate the first signs of aging and rejuvenate the cells.

With all these advantages, wiping your face with a cucumber is absolutely safe, because it almost never causes allergies.

Homemade cucumber lotion

To make a nourishing cucumber lotion, you need to use small, fresh, homemade vegetables. That is why the product should be made in season, so as not to acquire ingredients of unknown origin. Depending on the purpose, lotions are:

• For removing makeup;
• From acne;
• Anti-aging;
• For a perfect tan;
• For skin whitening, etc.

At home, you can make your own as a universal lotion, and for a specific skin type.

To make a remedy for all skin types, rub the cucumber and add green tea. Cucumber lotion is infused and then used as needed.

Cucumber face masks at home

The cosmetic properties of a vegetable are used by women to improve the condition of the skin. Infusions, decoctions are used, but most often - cucumber masks. They tone, moisturize dry skin, rejuvenate, eliminate pigmentation, rashes, acne and minor inflammation.

Cucumber mask is an effective replacement for expensive creams.

In order to make the simplest cucumber mask, you need to cut the vegetable into thin slices without removing the peel and apply them to the previously cleansed skin. The procedure should be performed while lying down so that the muscles absorb the maximum of nutrients. Keep cucumber slices on your face for no more than 30 minutes.

If the mask contains other ingredients besides cucumber, it is necessary to check the skin for an allergic reaction. A drop of the composition must be applied to the wrist, held, then washed off. If there are no signs of irritation, then you can apply the mask to your face.

Slimming cucumbers

Cucumber removes moisture from the body, has a laxative effect, normalizes and cleanses the intestines, perfectly satisfies hunger and thirst.

Thanks to these properties, the benefits of cucumbers for weight loss are very great, the vegetable is indispensable in the diet menu.

For weight loss, you should consume up to 2 kg of fresh cucumbers per day. You can add vitamin-rich citrus juices. Small homemade fruits with pimples are most effective. Most of the nutrients are in the peel, so you shouldn't cut it off.

In addition to the cucumber, you need to drink two liters of clean water. Instead, you can choose green tea, with caution - low-fat kefir, because dairy products in combination with cucumber act as a strong laxative. During the cucumber diet, physical activity should be abandoned.

During the diet, you can only eat fresh cucumbers; pickles should be discarded due to the high content of salt and seasonings.

The use of cucumbers in cooking

In cooking, salads are prepared from fresh cucumbers in combination with other vegetables (cabbage, carrots, onions, bell peppers) and herbs. They are served as a side dish to any meat dish, as they help to digest it. Fresh vegetables are the most delicious and valuable.

In salted or pickled form, cucumbers are used for pickles, hodgepodge, stews and salads, including winter ones. Also, pickles are good as a standalone snack or in combination with vegetables or meat dishes.

The benefits of tomato and cucumber salad

According to nutritionists, the popular tomato and cucumber salad causes significant harm to the body. Digesting, tomatoes create an acidic environment, cucumbers - alkaline, as a result of their interaction in the body, salts are formed and deposited.

In addition, the ascorbic acid contained in tomatoes is neutralized by the ascorbinase found in cucumbers. As a result, the value of vegetables for the body is reduced to zero.

Therefore, tomatoes and cucumbers should be eaten separately and at different meals.

The benefits and harms of pickles

Pickles are very healthy. They:

• Due to the content of lactic acid, they cleanse the walls of blood vessels from excess fat and prevent the development of cholesterol.
• Prevents the appearance of intestinal infections.
• Induce appetite.
• Improves bowel function.
• Normalize metabolism.
• They are used as antidepressants, relieve muscle fatigue after physical exertion.

With undoubted merits, pickles can harm humans. They:

• They destroy tooth enamel;
• Harm the kidneys;
• Dangerous for stomach diseases;
• The cause of pressure surges.

The benefits of lightly salted cucumbers are many beneficial substances preserved as a result of a short salting. Lightly salted cucumbers do not contain vinegar and salt, therefore they are safe for hypertensive patients, people on diets, as well as for expectant mothers.

Lightly salted cucumbers are harmful for diseases of the stomach and kidneys.

The benefits and harms of pickled cucumbers

Pickled cucumbers increase immunity, prevent anemia, improve the condition of bones and tooth enamel.

Thanks to vinegar, vegetables are effective against pathogenic bacteria in the digestive tract and infectious diseases, burn fat and normalize sugar levels.

Sodium in the composition of pickles in small doses has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, improves muscle activity. An excess of this element in the body threatens to deteriorate kidney function, vomiting, thirst, nervousness, and increased urination. Pressure rises, edema appears, tooth enamel is destroyed.

Pickled cucumbers are contraindicated for gout, liver and heart diseases.

Storing cucumbers

At room temperature, vegetables wither, lose their flavor and deteriorate. Cucumbers are stored for up to three weeks in the refrigerator at temperatures close to zero and relative humidity of 80-90%. Greenhouse varieties and some others do not like such conditions. For them, the optimal environment is thin plastic bags and a temperature of 15-20 ° C. They can lie in them from two weeks to a month.

Long fruits from the greenhouse can be lowered with their tails down into a container of water, the liquid must be changed daily. This will keep the vegetables for a long time.

Put vegetables in a non-metallic dish with vinegar so that they do not touch the liquid (for example, on the wire rack) and close tightly.

Wash the fruits thoroughly, dry, coat with egg white (the formed film allows the vegetable to breathe) and put in a dark cool place.

The harm of cucumbers to the body and contraindications

For kidney disease, liver disease, gastritis and stomach ulcers, it is recommended to refrain from fresh cucumbers.

Pickles will cause additional harm to the body in case of liver pathologies, high blood pressure, disruption of the water-salt balance, inflammation of the kidneys, and diseases of the endocrine system.

Early cucumbers often contain dangerous nitrates used to speed up the ripening of vegetables. Therefore, you can actively eat vegetables only during the high season.

Conclusion

Knowing what the benefits and harms of cucumbers are, a person will be able to eat this vegetable so that it brings the maximum benefit and does not cause damage.