Cucumbers can quench the thirst you feel on a summer's day. With their high water content and many vitamins and minerals, cucumbers are also a healthy snack. They are eaten both raw and pickled. Cucumbers eaten raw are often 6 to 9 inches long while the pickling variety are 3 to 5 inches long. Both types have a green outer peel with a light pale green flesh with seeds.
Nutrition Information
According to the USDA, a serving size of 1/2 cup of chopped cucumbers with the skin provides 2 percent of your daily value of vitamin A and C based on a 2,000-calorie diet. They contain only 10 calories, no fat, and no sodium per serving and have 90 percent or more water content. Additionally, they contain magnesium and potassium. The USDA recommends consuming 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day.
Health Benefits
Cucumbers are often used in spa products such as lotion and shampoo. Its natural cooling sensation helps skin problems such as sunburns and under-eye swelling. Moreover, cucumbers contain silica, which benefits skin, blood vessels, and bones. Cucumber skin also contains dietary fiber, which aids digestion and helps lower cholesterol, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Uses in Cooking
Cucumbers can be chopped and added to salads and sandwiches. They can also be used in gazpacho, a soup made from tomatoes and served chilled. You can even make a soup solely based on cucumbers, which can be served hot or cold. Fresh salsa with tomatoes, jalapenos, and cilantro can be spruced up with freshly chopped cucumbers. Certainly, you can eat cucumbers fresh for a mid-afternoon snack.
Varieties
There are many varieties of cucumbers including Persian, English and pickling. Persian cucumbers are commonly available in grocery stores and have a wax-based skin that seals in the moisture. This skin should be peeled before consumption. English cucumbers are called seedless, though the seeds are just much smaller than in Persian variety. They are longer and skinnier and are wrapped in plastic to seal the moisture. Since there is no wax, they can be eaten with the skin on. Pickling cucumbers are shorter and often have prickly skin that can be eaten. Their interior flesh is similar to the Persian variety.
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