15 reasons to eat cucumber

By Bharat Sharma, 19th Jan 2013 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/1xe14eo8/
Posted in Wikinut>Health>Diet & Nutrition

Cucumber is one of the important parts of salad. Many of us have consumed it, and we know how tasty it is. Check out the article to know about the health benefits of cucumber

15 reasons to eat cucumber

Cucumber is one of the important parts of salad. Many of us have consumed it, and we know how tasty it is. This plant belong to gourd family and the scientific name for this plant is Cucumis sativus.'slicing','kickling' and 'burpless' are three major varieties of cucumber. The basic place of cucumber's origin is India, but now it is grown in many continents.
Cucumber is not just a piece of adding attraction or taste to salad, but it is a treasure of health benefits a person can get by its consumption.

Some of the major health benefits of Cucumber are:-

(1)Hydration- The main component of cucumber is water, and this is not the regular water but the nutritious water which is more beneficial compared to regular water. This nutritious water comprises up to 96% of cucumber. Nutritious water present in the cucumber regulates our body temperature. Other than this, it helps in removal of toxins out of body and maintenance of required percentage of hydration in our body.

(2) Skin care- Presence of vitamin A, B & C and certain minerals like magnesium, silica and calcium makes cucumber a good product for caring of skin and that's why cucumber is applied on skin to get benefits. Juice of cucumber has magical skin tightening effect and they are used for making facial masks. As 96% of cucumber is water, so this also makes cucumber beneficial for skin as water helps in removal of toxins from the body thus purifying the blood and thus keeping the skin in good condition.

(3)Beneficial for eyes- Cucumber bring down the water retention rate which is responsible for the diminishing of puffiness of eyes and cause swellings under eyes. This benefit of cucumber is because of the presence of ascorbic and caffeic effect. Skin of cucumber is of great relief for sunburn area.

(4)Prevents cancer- Risk of development of several types of cancers like breast cancer, ovarian cancer and pancreas caner are greatly reduced by regular consumption of cucumber.

(5)Good for teeth and Gums- People suffering from Pyorrhea should consume Cucumber juice, as it is found to be beneficial for teeth and gums. Dietary fiber, presence in cucumber also makes it healthy.

(6) Increase digestion- Many digestive orders like acidity, heartburn, gastritis and even ulcers can be cured by regular consumption of cucumber juice. Both water and dietary fiber is present in cucumber, which helps in better digestion of food. Cucumber is also found to be useful against chronic constipation, if consumed regularly.

(7)Strong joints-Silica present in cucumber promotes joint health by strengthening the connective tissues.

(8)Treatment of tapeworms- Seeds of cucumber are found to be useful for the treatment of tapeworms. Swelling of mucous membrane of nose and throat can also be controlled effectively by consumption of mixture of crushed cucumber seeds and water.

(9)Nail care- Cucumber is good for nails of fingers and toes as it prevents their spitting and spooling.

(10)Give relief against Arthritis and gouts- Cucumber lowers the uric acid level which helps in relieving out the gouts and arthritis pain.

(11)Controls diabetes- Cucumber regulates diabetes by regulating the insulin level in our body.

(12) Reduce cholesterol- Sterols present in cucumber helps in reducing the cholesterol level.

(13)Good for hair growth- Presence of silicon and sulphur present in cucumber helps in making the hairs healthy and also stimulate hair growth. Added advantages can be achieved by mixing juice of carrot, lettuce and spinach to cucumber juice.

(14)Diuretic in nature- Cucumber is diuretic in nature as it increases the elimination rate of removal of toxins and waster products out of body through urination. It is also found useful for dissolving kidney and bladder stones, if consumed regularly.

(15)Good for weight loss- As 96% of cucumber is water, so it means that it is very low in calorie and consumption of cucumber doesn’t lead to weight loss.

As cucumber is not only tasty but is also very beneficial for our health, so we should eat cucumber on regular basis to get all advantages offered by this wonderful plant of gourd family.

Republished from http://expertscolumn.com/content/15-reasons-eat-cucumber