Useful and harmful properties of cucumbers

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Cucumbers are vegetables that are on everyone's table, whether fresh or pickled. However, in truth, the cucumber is not a true vegetable, it is customary to refer it to the pumpkin family, it is also called a false berry. Today we will talk about the benefits and harms of cucumbers, learn about its composition, talk about the areas in which it is customary to use this vegetable.

Useful and harmful properties of cucumbers

Cucumber composition

Before talking about the benefits and dangers of a vegetable, it is worth figuring out what is contained in its composition, namely in 100 grams of the product:

• The first thing to say is that a green vegetable is 98% water, which is why when consumed, you can easily cope with thirst, as well as detox
• About 1% dietary fiber, this component contributes to the normal functioning of the digestive tract, providing the irreplaceable benefits of cucumber for the body
• Vitamins of group B, C, PP and E
• The vegetable contains potassium, which helps to establish and stabilize the work of the heart and genitourinary system.
• Iodine, which is simply necessary for the human body
• In addition, there are such mineral elements as phosphorus, sodium, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, cobalt, copper, zinc and so on - all these components are involved in the metabolism.

As you have seen, the chemical composition of cucumber is impressive, for this reason it is customary to say that the consumption of a vegetable is extremely healthy. Let's take a closer look at why a green vegetable is so often recommended for consumption by doctors, for what other purposes it can be useful.

Benefit

As mentioned earlier, cucumber owes its beneficial properties to a unique chemical composition, but we will analyze this aspect in more detail, talking about the use of cucumbers for different purposes.

Maintaining water balance

Earlier it was said that cucumber contains about 98% of water, only watermelon and water itself can boast of such indicators. However, only due to the water content, it would be very difficult to saturate the human body with moisture. For these purposes, the composition contains potassium, which helps the absorption of fluids. In addition, due to their unique composition, when consumed rationally, they help to remove excess fluid from the body. That is why doctors prescribe the consumption of these vegetables with a diuretic purpose.

Normalization of metabolism

Cucumber has the unique ability to neutralize acidic compounds; this is an indispensable benefit of cucumbers for the human body. The fact is that in the diet of an average person there is a mass of products in which the very compounds are present, they can significantly affect the deterioration of the work of many internal organs, most often the kidneys are affected.Eating cucumbers as a preventive measure helps prevent the formation of kidney stones, and they naturally excrete them in the urine.

Improving overall health

Due to the fact that cucumbers contain a large amount of potassium, the presence of vegetables in the human diet will help to normalize blood pressure. The presence of iodine in the composition has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland, in addition, it prevents the formation of atheroblasts with high cholesterol. Copper is essential for the nervous system to be in perfect order. The most important trace element present in the vegetable, zinc, is directly involved in the production of insulin, for this reason cucumbers are an indispensable component of the diet of diabetics, this is another benefit of cucumber for the human body.

Separately, it should be said about the presence of iron in the composition of the vegetable, this component is even in greater quantities than in currants or strawberries. This component has a beneficial effect on the health of the body as a whole, but it most supports and improves the condition of teeth, hair and skin.

In addition, such a beneficial effect on the human body can be noted:

• Cucumber juice can be used as a febrifuge
• As a prevention of viruses and colds
• With a prolonged cough, the benefits of cucumber are irreplaceable.
• For stress or lingering depression
• In the presence of an inflammatory process in the human body
• As a mild pain reliever

Harm

For some diseases, you should not eat cucumbers.

It is worth talking about the dangers of fresh cucumbers only if the vegetable was grown using chemicals and pesticides. If, during the cultivation, processing was carried out using nitrates, there is a high probability of getting the most severe poisoning, this is a clear contraindication for the consumption of a vegetable.

There is a category of people who should be careful about eating cucumbers.

• For example, in the presence of renal pathology, when a person needs to limit water intake, it is allowed to eat no more than 150-200 grams per day, this is a partial contraindication.
• It is also worth limiting the consumption of cucumbers for those who have inflammatory processes on the mucous membrane of the stomach or intestines, for example, an ulcer or colitis. The fact is that the consumption of cucumber leads to an increase in the level of acidity.
• Also, do not lean on cucumbers for pregnant women, since this product contributes to the formation of edema, which is undesirable during pregnancy.

The use of cucumbers in cosmetology

Cucumber can be used not only as food, but also for cosmetic purposes, masks and lotions are made on its basis, the use of which has a beneficial effect on the health of the skin, gently cleanses it and removes wrinkles. In addition, it should be said that all the beneficial qualities of the vegetable are absorbed directly by the pores of the skin. For example, the same B vitamin is needed in order to resume the production of natural collagen.

There is a myth that Cleopatra achieved the preservation of eternal youth not only with the help of milk, but also because she drank cucumber juice and made cucumber masks. Thus, the benefits of fresh cucumbers were discovered in ancient Egypt.

Here is a description of the most popular face masks that you can prepare yourself with your own hands at minimal cost.

Universal mask on cucumbers

In order to prepare a universal face mask that suits absolutely all skin types, you need a cucumber and egg white. You need to peel the vegetable, then grate it on a fine grater, the protein is added to the chopped cucumber mass. A thoroughly mixed mask is applied to cleansed skin for 7-10 minutes. Its effect is manifested in toning and improving complexion.

Sensitive skin care

To hide the often protruding blush on the cheeks, as well as get rid of the vascular network, you can use a cucumber mask for sensitive skin. For the preparation of a cosmetic product, you will need a cucumber and blueberries. As in the previous case, the cucumber must be peeled and grated. After that, you need to squeeze the juice of several berries into the resulting mass. This mask stays on the face a little longer - at least 15 minutes, this is the only way to get rid of rosacea.

Cucumber mask for oily skin

To prepare the mask, you need to take a medium-sized cucumber and white clay. The components of the cosmetic product are thoroughly mixed, and then immediately applied to cleansed skin. After the mask is dry, you need to wash your face with warm water. If you use the product at least once a week, you can achieve that the skin loses its unpleasant oily sheen and acquires the desired dullness.

Cucumber nourishing mask

Required ingredients for the preparation of the mask:

• Cottage cheese with a fat content of at least 5%
• Milk
• Olive oil
• Grated cucumber
• Parsley

All components must be crushed as much as possible, and then mixed until a homogeneous mass is formed. The mixture is applied to the skin for 5-7 minutes, after which it is thoroughly washed off.

Slimming cucumber

Cucumber is included in many diets

Due to the fact that the described vegetable contains a minimum amount of calories, there are many diets based on it. If you take as an example a cucumber weighing only 100 grams, its calorie content is only 17 calories. In addition, weight loss will be facilitated by the fact that the vegetable contains fiber, it normalizes the digestive tract, which is extremely important during a diet.

It should be said that the vegetable contains a unique component tartronic acid, with its help it will be even easier to get rid of excess weight. The fact is that this component contributes to the conversion of carbohydrates into energy, and not into fat.

Also, weight loss will be facilitated by the fact that the vegetable has a laxative effect, although it is not so pronounced. The consumption of cucumbers will also help to get rid of the edema that often occurs in obese people.

Why is cucumber juice good for you?

Not only the vegetable itself has healing properties, but also the juice that is made from it. He, like the cucumber itself, has the property of removing excess fluid, that is, it has a mild diuretic effect.

If you drink it regularly, you can get rid of small stones that have formed in the gallbladder or its ducts. It is useful to rinse your mouth with cucumber juice, this will help maintain the condition of the oral cavity in order, relieve microcracks or inflammation.

Is it worth eating early cucumbers

We are all familiar with the smell of fresh cucumber, few can resist the aroma of freshness. However, it is worth dwelling on the question of whether it is possible to eat early spring vegetables, whether early cucumbers are harmful. The fact is that when grown, a vegetable is generously fertilized with various chemicals, including nitrates. We all know that such components are by no means worth eating, otherwise such a meal will bring you a real disaster.

To protect yourself from such troubles, it is worth remembering that all harmful substances accumulate in the skin. Therefore, before trying the crispy early cucumber, you need to peel it to a depth of about 2 centimeters over the entire area.

Despite such cleaning, it is still not recommended to feed young children with early cucumbers, the restriction is valid until the age of three years.

As for the consumption of vegetables in the summer, they can be eaten by everyone - from small to large, exceptions will be given below in the "Harm of cucumbers" section. The cucumber will be an excellent component of almost any salad, you can even eat it fried.It is even known to consume a vegetable as a dessert, for example, in Iran it is served with honey and lemon or sour cream.

The benefits of bitter cucumbers

With whom it has not happened that a beautiful, even peeled cucumber turned out to be bitter. Usually, we get rid of such a product, considering it unhealthy and unsuitable for food. However, recent studies have shown that while the taste of the bitter vegetable is not the most pleasant, the medicinal and beneficial properties of cucumber are unforgiving. The fact is that such vegetables contain steroid saponins, they are found in many representatives of the pumpkin group of plants.

It turns out that the consumption of foods containing this component can become a real weapon in the fight against cancer cells, because cucurbitacins can detect excessive tissue growth and stop it in time. Of course, in the presence of oncology, it is not worth fighting a tumor only by consuming bitter cucumbers, it is better to trust traditional medicine in this matter. However, bitter cucumbers are useful as a preventive or adjuvant therapy.

In addition, bitter cucumbers can also be useful for medicinal purposes. To do this, you need to dry the vegetable, then chop it with a blender or knife. Such a cucumber powder should be applied to the burn site, in case of irritation, diaper rash, and so on. Some countries use bitter cucumbers as a raw material for the production of medicines for the treatment of many diseases, for example, heart, gastrointestinal, and so on.

The benefits of pickles

In the summer, every second housewife is engaged in rolling cucumbers and pickled tomatoes. We all know how delicious it is, but is it healthy? Of course, all the vitamins and trace elements that we talked about earlier, alas, are completely destroyed during the canning process. However, the benefits of pickled cucumbers are still there, for example, they increase appetite, have a positive effect on the digestion process, and also have a slight laxative effect.

Contraindications

However, there are some contraindications and contraindications regarding the use of pickled vegetables for people suffering from such diseases:

• Cardiac pathology
• Kidney disease
• With the second and higher degree of obesity in women or men
• If you have hepatitis
• If you have gallstone disease

If we compare the benefits and harms of cucumbers that have been converted, then the benefits of cucumbers, of course, are not so much as in the case of a fresh vegetable.