If you want to improve your general health and have a better shape, the only sustainable solution is to change your eating habits and to include in your diet a maximum of healthy and nutritious foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Nothing can replace these perfect foods that nature gives us and extraordinarily adapted to the man. Maybe it seems rather difficult to take the plunge? To help you, we suggest you start with this amazing vegetable that has not finished surprising us: the cucumber.
Cucumber is a fruit of the cucurbitaceae family like zucchini, melons and pumpkins. Easy to grow, it is harvested in summer and can be tasted most often in salad, but it can also be stuffed or made into soups.
Add the cucumber to your diet
- Number of studies praise its benefits, why deprive oneself?
As is the case with most fruits and vegetables, cucumbers are good for your health, and you'd better integrate them into your diet right now. Many researches are taking place in scientific circles to try to know the properties of this food, of which here is one that alone has found five health benefits! It would be antioxidant, fight against diabetes, have a cleansing action of toxins and cellular waste, soothe skin irritations and prevent constipation.
The benefits of cucumber
Here are ten benefits that cucumbers have on health and that you could well experiment also by integrating this fruit with your food:
1. It hydrates your body
Cucumbers are made of 95% water. The mere fact of consuming 150 grams will fill 25% of your recommended intake of water, knowing that fruit water contains minerals better assimilated by the body than those found in shops.
2. It is good for your heart
Cucumbers are rich in potassium. However, studies have been conducted on the effects of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular health, show that an increase in potassium intake was "associated with a lower incidence rate of heart attacks and could also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease "
3. It protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases
Cucumbers contain an anti-inflammatory agent, fisetin, which comes into play, when consumed daily, in the prevention of age-related cognitive impairment, based on experiments in mice.
4. It protects your skin from the deleterious effects of aging
Cucumbers are also effective in the fight against wrinkles because of its richness in vitamins A, C and E which delay skin aging.
5. It fights inflammation in your body and reduces your risk of cancer
Cucumbers help reduce inflammation in your body. They contain among others polyphenols capable of preventing certain cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
6. It relieves pain
Anti-inflammatory substances in cucumbers, such as tannins, flavonoids and curcubitacins, have been shown to inhibit the release of free radicals into the body and reduce the sensation of pain.
7. It reduces bad breath
Cucumbers have the advantage of containing a lot of water. When you eat them, they stimulate saliva secretion in your mouth and fight against the proliferation of bacteria that lead to bad breath.
8. It protects your bones
Cucumbers contain vitamin K, which is essential for good health and good bone regeneration because it helps the absorption of calcium in your bones. One study found a link between increased vitamin K intake and a lower risk of bone fracture.
9. It prevents constipation
The skin of cucumbers contains a good proportion of insoluble fiber, which promotes good intestinal transit, and prevents certain intestinal disorders such as constipation.
10. It helps maintain a healthy weight
These also have a positive effect on your line. It has been shown that the consumption of fiber allows a regulation of the body weight and the maintenance of a healthy body mass.
So that you do not have any more excuses, here's a cucumber recipe idea that you can add to your menu today:
Recipe: cucumber salad
- Cut a cucumber into very thin slices and place them in a dish
- In a bowl, mix a plain vegetable yoghurt with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon fresh dill, then salt and pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and serve.
