Cucumber is a popular vegetable that is available in the late spring and early summer season. The watery vegetable is one of the top 4 cultivated veggies in the world. Cucumbers belong to the gourd family and is widely consumed in summer season to beat the heat, keep the body cool and stay hydrated.
It is believed to be originated in north India and now, the green watery vegetable is the fourth most-widely grown vegetable crop in the world followed by tomatoes, onions and cabbage. As it is rich in water, cucumbers are considered healthy for the overall health.
With summer season approaching near, you must start including this water-rich and cooling green vegetable in your diet to stay fit and energised. Most importantly, cucumbers are low in calories and fats. They are also rich in Vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, calcium, potassium and folate. Lets take a look at the major health benefits of cucumber, the summer vegetable.
Rehydrates the body:
During summers, we sweat a lot and this leads to dehydration. To get over the scarcity of water in the body, you must have freshly cut cucumber slices or drink cucumber juice to rehydrate the body and get over dehydration.
Flushes out toxins:
As 90% of the green summer vegetable is water, it helps flush out toxins and other harmful radicals from the body.
Fights cancer:
The juicy cucumbers contain three lignans namely ariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. According to researchers, these lignans reduces the risk of cancer especially prostrate, colon, breast, ovarian and uterine cancer.
Cures hangover:
Feeling dizzy and deactivated? Prevent the chances of getting a hangover by munching few slices of cucumber before going to sleep. Cucumbers contain Vitamin B, electrolytes and sugar that can reduce the intensity of hangover and headache. Having a glass of cucumber juice early morning also helps get rid of hangover naturally.
Aids weight loss:
As cucumbers are water-rich, they are very low in calories and fats. If you are on a diet, have this summer vegetable to shed some pounds whilst staying healthy!
Strong joints:
This is one of the health benefits of eating this summer vegetable. Cucumbers are rich in silica which promotes healthy joints and strengthens connectivity tissues.
Mouth care:
Cucumbers reduce mouth odour and also promotes stronger teeth and gums. Chew the cucumber slices properly to kill bacteria in the mouth. These are few health benefits of cucumber, the summer vegetable. Include them in your diet to stay healthy and for a glowing skin.
