Cucumbers are used in everything from salads to facial masks. Rich in vitamin A, vitamin K and potassium, adding this versatile food to your meals is a choice for good health. And it makes sense that cholesterol management programs often advocate eating vegetables and fruits, such as cucumbers, as they contain absolutely no cholesterol.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are part of the gourd family, a vine-bearing fruit family that also includes watermelon, squash and zucchini. A plant food that's often associated with a cooling effect, cucumbers are typical summertime fare. Their cooling effect makes them useful in cold soups and salads, and to cool the eye area during spa treatments. They are also packed with nutrients, containing good doses of vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium and magnesium.
Cucumbers and Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a component of animal-based foods, not plant foods, so like other fruits and vegetables, cucumbers contain no cholesterol. Managing high cholesterol often means evaluating and changing your eating habits. Advice often includes adding more fruits and vegetables to your meals. Cucumbers also have some fiber -- about 1.5 g in one unpeeled cucumber -- a component of food that helps lower blood cholesterol.
Other Nutritional Benefits of Cucumbers
Cucumbers contain other nutrients important to good health. Potassium helps maintain and regulate blood pressure and a raw, unpeeled cucumber provides 442 mg. Cucumbers also provide 316 IU of vitamin A, necessary for normal vision health, and 49.4 mg of vitamin K, a necessary mediator in the blood clotting process. Magnesium promotes proper muscle and heart function and cucumbers contain a good dose -- about 39 mg. Cucumbers are a low-fat, low-calorie food.
Cucumber Ideas
You can slice, julienne or puree cucumbers to add a variety of flavors and textures to your meals. You can also use cucumbers to make Mediterranean-style salad dressings, by mixing them with yogurt and other ingredients and serving them over a bed of iceberg lettuce. Add cucumbers to soups or use them as a main ingredient in creamy soups combined with yogurt, lemon juice and milk.
