My favorite vegetable has forever been the cucumber. If I get a salad I want it to have cucumbers
in it or it’s not a salad. During family gatherings I go right for the
cucumbers in the vegetable bowl. I am a cucumber fiend. So of course I ended up looking them up.
Cucumbers are mostly water, either 95% or 96% water. I have looked up multiple sources and some
say 95 and others say 96 so I’m not certain which it is. Either way cucumbers
are mostly water. Because of this they keep the body hydrated, regulate the
body’s inner temperature, and help the body flush out toxins.
Cucumbers also have vitamin K. One cup of cucumbers has 12% Vitamin
K, to be exact. Vitamin K helps build
bone strength. It can help reduce the risk of arthritis and osteoporosis later
on in life. This makes me wonder if my
adoration of cucumbers has something to do with the fact that the only bone I’ve
ever broken in my life is my nose. I swear I should have broken my fingers
multiple times by now but it hasn’t happened.
Another fact is that the skin of cucumbers contains a good
amount of Vitamin C and fiber, so it’s beneficial to leave it on when eating
cucumbers. But for those of you who don’t like to eat the skin (that would be
me) you can use the skin to relieve sunburn and mild skin irritations. Its
effects are similar to Aloe Vera.
Cucumbers have also been found to reduce dark circles under
the eyes has well as puffiness. Just lay down and put cucumbers on your eyes
for 15 to 20 minutes, or dab a cotton ball in cucumber juice and apply to the
skin just under the eyes.
I want to end with an interesting fact I found that has
nothing to do with health benefits and everything to do with yumminess. For those out there like myself who love to
munch on cucumbers, did you know that the flavor comes from their seeds? Medium sized cucumbers with soft small seeds
have the best flavor. So keep that in mind when grocery shopping.
Deanna,
ReplyDeleteI liked this post about cucumbers. I thought you did a nice job explaining your love for them when you described how you go for them at family reunions. Although the facts were interesting again, I really liked the end of your post when you discussed where the flavor comes from and gave us the inside scoop on what makes a good cucumber. You're definitely good at convincing me to eat more fruits and vegetables because now I want to go buy cucumbers!
-Molly
I love that you're posting early. So smart. And every time I read your blog I get hungry for something healthy. --Donna Steiner
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is not a big fan of cucumbers, your post about the vegetable makes me want to give them a second chance. I love just about every vegetable except cucumbers, but, as your other posts, the research you've presented in your blog post has shown me that cucumbers are worth a spot in my salads. I knew cucumbers were mostly water, but I had no idea of the fact that they can be used for much more than just eating. I never knew you could take the skin off cucumbers and apply them to the skin to help heal sunburns. I wish I knew that back before I decided taking baths in sunscreen before going out in the sun. This post had a little bit of everything. It had nutritional facts, remedies and advice. I really enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteI eat cucumbers practically every day (and I love pickles too), they're awesome. But I actually did not know any of the information you dished out here on them. Very interesting to hear that they contain vitamin K, vitamin C, and that they can also be used like aloe vera. Useful stuff to know, thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDelete-Alex
As a huge fan of pickles, and not so much cucumbers, this blog was refreshing. It actually made me want to give cucumbers a second try. I really like that you're keeping up a similar post format, by listing not only the nutrition benefits to your fruit or vegi but the other uses for them, like skin care. This adds enough diversity to really keep me interested!
ReplyDelete-Laura
I also share a love for cucumbers. I had no idea that they were so good for you. They’re great because they have so much water concentrated in them, so they keep you hydrated, but they also provide so many nutrients in the vitamins. I loved how you incorporated research in your essay. It allows the reader to expand their opinion of cucumbers far past your preference, and provides insight on their positive aspects.
ReplyDelete